The Military Suicide Epidemic

[Figaro]

What are the causes and how to deal with it?

Possible Causes of The Military Suicide Epidemic
Colleges for GI Bill and Military Education

Years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD ) among military personnel to the attention of the American people as never before

 

[gipper]

What are the causes and how to deal with it?

Possible Causes of The Military Suicide Epidemic
Colleges for GI Bill and Military Education

Years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD ) among military personnel to the attention of the American people as never before

PTSD has been a problem for every generation of warriors.

War is a terrible thing and if the people were smart, they would never allow the power elite to take us to war ever again.

Back in the late 70s I worked with a guy who saw a lot of combat in Vietnam. He was at Da Nang during the Tet Offensive. He put a gun to his head and blew his brains out. He was a very soft spoken friendly guy, but you could tell something wasn't right. He never smiled or laughed...and he used alcohol and drugs a lot.

Our government and military have really done a terrible disservice to many of our veterans.

 

[September]

Because many of the humans that join are weak minded pussies who can't handle War and should not have ever stepped foot on a battlefield.

​

 

[Katzndogz]

Drug use in the military.

Bath Salts Spice and US Military Are Service Members Abusing Synthetic Drugs - ABC News

 

[gipper]

Because many of the humans that join are weak minded pussies who can't handle War and should not have ever stepped foot on the battlefield.

​

I do not agree. Few men can handle the psychological damage caused by the horrors of combat.

 

[September]

Because many of the humans that join are weak minded pussies who can't handle War and should not have ever stepped foot on the battlefield.

​

I do not agree. Few men can handle the psychological damage caused by the horrors of combat.

Exactly, and it is only those few men and women who embrace War and Death and are not traumatized when getting shot at and killing "for this country" that deserve to fight.

​

 

[gipper]

Because many of the humans that join are weak minded pussies who can't handle War and should not have ever stepped foot on the battlefield.

​

I do not agree. Few men can handle the psychological damage caused by the horrors of combat.

Exactly, and it is only those few men and women who embrace War and Death and are not traumatized when getting shot at and killing "for this country" that deserve to fight.

​

If you are correct, then we need more psychopaths in our military. Where do we find psychopaths?

One option might be to enlist our entire political class, as most of them are psychopaths...they can kill without concern and if they get killed, oh well....a true win-win!

Calling Vietnam veterans with PSTD "pussies", is very insulting. Many of them did not JOIN, they were forced to kill for the power elite, by the government draft.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

What are the causes and how to deal with it?

Possible Causes of The Military Suicide Epidemic
Colleges for GI Bill and Military Education

Years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD ) among military personnel to the attention of the American people as never before

Unjustifiable wars is my hypothesis for the primary reason. People enlist in the military believing they'll be doing heroic things for their country. Then they get in, get deployed, and realize there's nothing heroic about killing arabs whose only crime is being on an oil field we wanna steal.

 

[waltky]

Calls to VA Suicide Hotline Went to Voicemail...

Report: Calls to VA Suicide Hotline Went to Voicemail
Feb 18, 2016 | WASHINGTON -- A suicide hotline operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs allowed crisis calls to go into voicemail, and callers did not always receive immediate assistance, according to a report by the agency's internal watchdog.

The report by the VA's office of inspector general says calls to the suicide hotline have increased dramatically in recent years, as veterans increasingly seek services following prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the aging of Vietnam-era veterans. The crisis hotline -- the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary -- received more than 450,000 calls in 2014, a 40 percent increase over the previous year. About 1 in 6 calls are redirected to backup centers when the crisis line is overloaded, the report said. Calls went to voicemail at some backup centers, including least one where staffers apparently were unaware there was a voicemail system, the report said. Hotline callers "made numerous complaints of long wait times for responders, being put 'on hold' or calls 'not being put through' to a responder," the report said.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he was deeply saddened and disappointed by the IG report. "The VA's failure to help our most vulnerable veterans is not only unacceptable, but it is shameful," McCain said. "The VA's inability to run a call center and deal with increasing demand has put our nation's veterans at greater risk." Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said the agency agrees with the report's recommendations and is working to modernize the crisis hotline, located in Canandaigua, New York, to better serve veterans. The VA is hiring more staff and has implemented staggered shifts to increase staffing during peak call times from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Gibson said. "We are improving our ability to be more available when our veterans need help the most," said Gibson, who visited the hotline center twice last year.

Upgrades are planned in the next year to provide state-of-the art phone systems and greater work space for staff who answer crisis calls, Gibson said. About one-fifth of all suicides in the United States are committed by veterans, and the VA has highlighted suicide prevention as a crucial area of concern. A law signed by President Barack Obama year requires the Pentagon and VA to submit to independent reviews of their suicide prevention programs and make information on prevention more easily available. The law also offers financial incentives to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals who agree to work for the VA and assists military members as they transition from active duty to veteran status.

An HBO documentary highlighting the life-and-death drama of the VA suicide hotline won an Oscar last year. The film, "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1" won for best documentary, short subject. Paul Rieckhoff, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group that works with the call center, said he was disappointed by the IG's report. "As the number of service members, veterans and their families reaching out to the Veterans Crisis Line continues to grow, the need for additional resources becomes more apparent," Rieckhoff said.

Report: Calls to VA Suicide Hotline Went to Voicemail | Military.com

 

[ZackB]

What are the causes and how to deal with it?

Possible Causes of The Military Suicide Epidemic
Colleges for GI Bill and Military Education

Years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD ) among military personnel to the attention of the American people as never before

Unjustifiable wars is my hypothesis for the primary reason. People enlist in the military believing they'll be doing heroic things for their country. Then they get in, get deployed, and realize there's nothing heroic about killing arabs whose only crime is being on an oil field we wanna steal.

Bullshit. People join the military as a career option. Today's armed forces are not what they used to be. They get very good pay, generous housing subsides, and great health coverage for their entire family. If they stay in for a mere 20 years they get a very generous pension for the rest of their lives plus health coverage. They also get hiring preferences for DFAS civilian jobs, money for college and VA guaranteed home mortgages. While they do a fine job as soldiers, they are compensated DAMN WELL.

Remember, today's "soldiers" are not 18 year olds with piss and vinegar in their veins. They are adults with kids and mortgages. Many of them do not posses the mindset to kill people and otherwise see and digest the horrors of wars. In short, today's military are pussies when compared to the soldiers drafted into the service to fight in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Plus, let's face it: the training today is totally pussified when compared to Paris Island 40 years ago. Back then you left Paris Island either a marine, a discharged reject unfit for service, or dead.
The suicide problem is due to the fact that these soldiers are not receiving effective training for combat.

 

[waltky]

VA: Suicide Rates Among Veterans Highest in Western US, Rural Areas...

Suicide Rates Among Veterans Highest in Western US, Rural Areas
September 16, 2017 | WASHINGTON — Suicide among military veterans is especially high in the western U.S. and rural areas, according to new government data that show wide state-by-state disparities and suggest social isolation, gun ownership and access to health care may be factors.

The figures released Friday are the first-ever Department of Veterans Affairs data on suicide by state. It shows Montana, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico had the highest rates of veteran suicide as of 2014, the most current VA data available. Veterans in big chunks of those states must drive 70 miles or more to reach the nearest VA medical center. The suicide rates in those four states stood at 60 per 100,000 individuals or higher, far above the national veteran suicide rate of 38.4. The overall rate in the West was 45.5. All other regions of the country had rates below the national rate. Other states with high veteran suicide rates, including West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky, had greater levels of prescription drug use, including opioids. A VA study last year found veterans who received the highest doses of opioid painkillers were more than twice as likely to die by suicide compared to those receiving the lowest doses.

The latest VA data also reaffirmed sharp demographic differences: Women veterans are at much greater risk, with their suicide rate 2.5 times higher than for female civilians. Among men, the risk was 19 percent higher among veterans compared to civilians. As a whole, older veterans make up most military suicides -- roughly 65 percent were age 50 or older. "This report is huge," said Rajeev Ramchand, an epidemiologist who studies suicide for the RAND Corp. He noted that the suicide rate is higher for veterans than non-veterans in every single state by at least 1.5 times, suggesting unique problems faced by former service members. "No state is immune."

U.S. Soldiers with Task Force Iron maneuver an M-777 howitzer, so it can be towed into position at Bost Airfield, Afghanistan.​

Ramchand said it was hard to pinpoint specific causes behind veteran suicide but likely involved factors more prevalent in rural areas, such as social isolation, limited health care access, gun ownership and opioid addiction. Nationally, 70 percent of the veterans who take their lives had not previously been connected to VA care. "This requires closer investigation into why suicide rates by veteran status are higher, including the role that opiates play," Ramchand said. The dataset offers more detailed breakdowns on national figures released last year, which found that 20 veterans a day committed suicide. The numbers come from the largest study undertaken of veterans' records by the VA, part of a government effort to uncover fresh information about where to direct resources and identify veterans most at-risk.

The department has been examining ways to boost suicide prevention efforts. "These findings are deeply concerning, which is why I made suicide prevention my top clinical priority," said VA Secretary David Shulkin. "This is a national public health issue." Shulkin, who has worked to provide same-day mental health care at VA medical centers, recently expanded emergency mental care to veterans with other than honorable discharges. The department is also boosting its suicide hotline and expanding telehealth options.

MORE