The obstacles I encounter are often related to getting veterans to talk openly about this solution. This is often a difficult subject to bring up, and they will keep quiet about it in an attempt to protect their families. The other obstacle I see is the same as for treatment in general, namely, that veterans have been trained not to disclose anything that could be perceived as a weakness. I always try to communicate the psychological concept that suicidal thoughts or post-traumatic symptoms have nothing to do with weakness of character, but rather reflect suffering.
These thoughts must be brought to the forefront if we want them to subside, if we want to understand what they're talking about. The main obstacle is getting the veteran to be able to open up completely about this subject and talk about it. Veterans are often afraid that I will have them hospitalized or take severe action if they mention suicidal thoughts. However, in reality, if suicidal thoughts are detected early on, there is plenty of time to talk about them at length so that they dissipate. Therefore, there is no need to take action. When quick action is needed, it's often because the thoughts have been present for a very long time.