Politicians are dragging their feet on Veteran Mental Health Issues

[VetsPrevail]

On average, 18 veterans commit suicide in America every day. The need for improved mental health care is absolutely urgent! The more popular support we rally, the more we can push the politicians and stakeholders who are dragging their feet on this critical issue. Please help get the message out there by watering this video and pass this to as many people as you can: youtube.com/watch?v=6VmUulPab4M

Here, I put in a link that works for you, since you can't post links here until you've had 15 posts. But thank you for posting this! -Echo Zulu

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VmUulPab4M[/ame]

 

[2Parties]

The government has always treated the military like crap. What do you expect?

 

[blu]

The government has always treated the military like crap. What do you expect?

they are just peons to enrich the politicians

 

[blu]

what person is power has ever cared about the military or people under them?

 

[geauxtohell]

On average, 18 veterans commit suicide in America every day. The need for improved mental health care is absolutely urgent! The more popular support we rally, the more we can push the politicians and stakeholders who are dragging their feet on this critical issue. Please help get the message out there by watering this video and pass this to as many people as you can: youtube.com/watch?v=6VmUulPab4M

Thanks for your advocacy and good luck with your cause.

 

[rdean]

Republicans have always fucked the veterans. It's why McCain had a 20% rating and a grade of D from Veterans Groups. But they are best at playing the "patriot card". Veterans will never get proper benefits as long as Republicans can filibuster.

 

[uscitizen]

Wait a minute now I saw Bob Dole say that they were taking care of that after he and someone else were appoiinted to a special panel or somesuch on the issue under Bush...
This was a few years ago.....

 

[hortysir]

It's taken the VA 5 years to finally diagnose my stepson with severe PTSD.
It's so bad that they have made him leave his job as he can't safely socialize with groups of people over an extended period of time.
They are scheduling cognitive behavioral therapy for him.

Of all the pages I have read on PTSD, I find this sentence the most haunting:

Many factors can impact the extent of the reaction to a traumatic event. These include the amount of death and devastation witnessed, and the degree of responsibility felt for not preventing the event.

Ya see, he was with 3/4 Marines when they were the first units across the Iraqi border from Afghanistan.
They blasted their way all the way to Baghdad, leaving carnage behind them....


Anyway...I hope the VA can do right by him. He hasn't held a jod for more than a month since he got home. The man is badly haunted.

 

[blu]

It's taken the VA 5 years to finally diagnose my stepson with severe PTSD.
It's so bad that they have made him leave his job as he can't safely socialize with groups of people over an extended period of time.
They are scheduling cognitive behavioral therapy for him.

Of all the pages I have read on PTSD, I find this sentence the most haunting:

Many factors can impact the extent of the reaction to a traumatic event. These include the amount of death and devastation witnessed, and the degree of responsibility felt for not preventing the event.

Ya see, he was with 3/4 Marines when they were the first units across the Iraqi border from Afghanistan.
They blasted their way all the way to Baghdad, leaving carnage behind them....


Anyway...I hope the VA can do right by him. He hasn't held a jod for more than a month since he got home. The man is badly haunted.

you should look into private mental health for him if you can afford. I would never want to trust my kid's mental health and the rest of their life to the VA

 

[hortysir]

It's taken the VA 5 years to finally diagnose my stepson with severe PTSD.
It's so bad that they have made him leave his job as he can't safely socialize with groups of people over an extended period of time.
They are scheduling cognitive behavioral therapy for him.

Of all the pages I have read on PTSD, I find this sentence the most haunting:

Many factors can impact the extent of the reaction to a traumatic event. These include the amount of death and devastation witnessed, and the degree of responsibility felt for not preventing the event.

Ya see, he was with 3/4 Marines when they were the first units across the Iraqi border from Afghanistan.
They blasted their way all the way to Baghdad, leaving carnage behind them....


Anyway...I hope the VA can do right by him. He hasn't held a jod for more than a month since he got home. The man is badly haunted.

you should look into private mental health for him if you can afford. I would never want to trust my kid's mental health and the rest of their life to the VA

We can't right now (but I'm about to take a great job) and his wife is the only only one working in their household, so.......

 

[random3434]

It's taken the VA 5 years to finally diagnose my stepson with severe PTSD.
It's so bad that they have made him leave his job as he can't safely socialize with groups of people over an extended period of time.
They are scheduling cognitive behavioral therapy for him.

Of all the pages I have read on PTSD, I find this sentence the most haunting:

Many factors can impact the extent of the reaction to a traumatic event. These include the amount of death and devastation witnessed, and the degree of responsibility felt for not preventing the event.

Ya see, he was with 3/4 Marines when they were the first units across the Iraqi border from Afghanistan.
They blasted their way all the way to Baghdad, leaving carnage behind them....


Anyway...I hope the VA can do right by him. He hasn't held a jod for more than a month since he got home. The man is badly haunted.

Ah, I'm sorry to hear that, but at least maybe he can get the help he needs. That's why it is SO IMPORTANT for these laws to pass, because those that have served or there are going to need it more than ever.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The Government has steadily been increasing the amount of time , money and personnel to mental health. Claiming otherwise is a straight up lie. Under Bush the VA had to increase personnel and time for Mental health, they had to stay open longer and treat more people. Here at Camp Lejeune the Military has hired more Mental health personnel, doctors and Phd's. They have also been sending troops out into town to private practices. The VA is 90 miles away so locally the private practices take care of it.

More may be needed but claiming the Government is dragging their feet or not doing anything is simply NOT true.

 

[geauxtohell]

It's taken the VA 5 years to finally diagnose my stepson with severe PTSD.
It's so bad that they have made him leave his job as he can't safely socialize with groups of people over an extended period of time.
They are scheduling cognitive behavioral therapy for him.

Of all the pages I have read on PTSD, I find this sentence the most haunting:

Many factors can impact the extent of the reaction to a traumatic event. These include the amount of death and devastation witnessed, and the degree of responsibility felt for not preventing the event.

Ya see, he was with 3/4 Marines when they were the first units across the Iraqi border from Afghanistan.
They blasted their way all the way to Baghdad, leaving carnage behind them....


Anyway...I hope the VA can do right by him. He hasn't held a jod for more than a month since he got home. The man is badly haunted.

you should look into private mental health for him if you can afford. I would never want to trust my kid's mental health and the rest of their life to the VA

When it comes to PTSD, who would be better than the VA? Sorry, but I think if PTSD is the problem, that would be far superior to anywhere else. The VA would also be able to coordinate group therapy. Part of the problem veterans have being treated for PTSD is the feeling that the person they are talking too can't relate.

I also agree with Retired. Gates has made this a major issue in the DOD and Shinseki is continuing that in the VA.

Hort, I hope your son gets the help he needs.

 

[beowolfe]

The Government has steadily been increasing the amount of time , money and personnel to mental health. Claiming otherwise is a straight up lie. Under Bush the VA had to increase personnel and time for Mental health, they had to stay open longer and treat more people. Here at Camp Lejeune the Military has hired more Mental health personnel, doctors and Phd's. They have also been sending troops out into town to private practices. The VA is 90 miles away so locally the private practices take care of it.

More may be needed but claiming the Government is dragging their feet or not doing anything is simply NOT true.

Politics aside, when the VA treats vets for mental conditions, the treatments are usually uncoordinated and laughable when compared to non-VA mental health treatments. They are trying to ramp up their capability, but a couple of things have to happen for them to be effective.

1. The military needs to quit belittling soldiers who complain of mental issues.
2. We need to stop sending soldiers back into wars after they've complained of mental issues.

It's really hard to treat someone for a mental condition if you keep exposing them to the circumstances that caused the condition in the first place.