Our veterans come home and suffer in silent shame. We owe it to them to bring more public awareness to this traumatic disorder. It is our responsibility as a nation to help these men and women acclimate back into civilian life. An estimated 5,000 veterans die by suicide every year due to PTSD. Two out of three military marriages fail after the return of the soldier from deployment.…
The mental health status of these returning service members should be of utmost importance to everyone in society. Suicide rates in the military community have been rising since the wars began. In 2009, more service members had taken their…
The Naval ROTC program is among the most elite programs in the United States. However, when an average American citizen depicts the United States greatest military moments, they picture the iconic moment of United States marines holding up the American flag at Iwo Jima. The USMC is the ideal fighting force that has been prominent around the globe. Surprisingly, they also share the Naval ROTC program with the United States Navy. Why is it that the US Navy lacks the same picture and title as the USMC? The United States Navy is putting out a great number of officers per year. Without an officer candidate school (OCS) or basic school to screen navy officers the military branch is exposing itself to diminishing physical standards, lack of strive…
Soldiers returning from duty who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have the highest rate of suicide among veterans in our nation’s history. The rates post 2001, the real beginning of the USA’s involvement in these conflicts, have increased significantly more for the 2 branches of military that get more up close and personal with the conflicts (Army and Marines) versus those who fight from afar (Air-Force and Navy. In 2009 the US Army suicide rate was almost double that of regular civilians. While there are programs in place to help returning veterans, the Veterans Association (VA) is unorganized, outdated, and doesn’t do nearly enough to protect the mental health of those veterans. We need a new,…
7. The Joint Commission. Inpatient Suicides: Recommendations for Prevention The Sentinel Event Alert. (Issue 7) November 6, 1998. Retrieved from: http://www.jointcommission.org/SentinelEvents/SentinelEventAlert/sea_7.htm…
Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement A Synopsis of Dr. Kevin M. Gilmartin “A Guide for Officers and Their Families” Journey Through Law Enforcement Idealistic recruits can become cynical veterans.…
Although war may be rewarding and exciting, but it also can be extremely costly. When the soldiers end up going home, they often have mental problems. Junger explains why when he says, “… they’re normal young men with normal emotional needs that have to be met within the very narrow options available on that hilltop.”…
MacReady, Norra. "Mentally Ill Veterans Need More Effective Psychotherapy." Mental Illness. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Challenges of Treating PTSD in Veterans."http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/584096. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 13 May 2013.…
Fear, N. , Ward, V. , Harrison, K. , Davison, L. , Williamson, S. , et al. (2009). Suicide among male regular uk armed forces personnel, 1984-2007. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66(7), 438-441.…
The trauma that they have endured is not handled appropriately and the facilities which they need are often not mentioned to them, this leads to problems developing such as; committing suicide and violent crimes, and suffering homelessness, addiction, and mental illness in record numbers. On January 13, the New York Times published the first part in a series of examinations into killings committed in the United States by returned veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Under the title “War Torn,” the series examines 121 cases in which Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had committed or were charged with killings, most of them murder, and many linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and consequent substance abuse and domestic distress. Families or single veterans are left to contend with the mental damage themselves. Overwhelmingly from lower-income working class backgrounds, military families bear multiple burdens in caring for wounded loved ones: psychological difficulties, alienation and lack of social infrastructure, enormous, medical costs, and lost economic livelihoods. With our general economic situation in poor standing – job prospects being impossible to attain, and the cost of living rising – all the difficulties manifest and compound into huge burdens for these veterans. Consequently, domestic disturbances, self-medication and drug dependency, homelessness, and incarceration are becoming more and more…
“According to US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, roughly 3.1 million Americans entered military service between 2001 and 2011, and nearly 2 million were deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. In that time, more than 6,000 American troops have been killed, and roughly 44,000 wounded. Of returning service members, more than 18% have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and almost 20% have reported suffering from the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI)(Green).” The war in Afghanistan lasted longer than any other war in our history. Combat operations ended in 2014, but still today our military remains hidden on Afghanistan’s soil. What that means is men and women are still dying at the hands of worldly opposition. The impact of war doesn’t stop with the service member. It affects the service member’s family, their friends, their job (if they are in the reserves), and numerous other aspects of their lives. “As of 2009, the US Census reported roughly 118,000 active California service members. When you multiply that by the number of families and friends those soldiers left at home, the significance of the statewide impact becomes clear. In 2010 alone, 6,000 military recruits were from California. “The LA Times reports that as of August 25, 2014, 749 California service members from every…
In 2012, the Surgeon General of the United States and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention revised the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention in ways that will be most effective, using the latest research available. Because Suicide is seen as a major public health concern, it is made a top priority by the Surgeon General. The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention aims to understand how suicide if effected by other health issues, finding out who is the most at risk and why, to find the most effective interventions for suicide prevention, and to encourage all-inclusive treatments which include follow up check-ins with the patient after treatment.…
The Veterans Administration is known not by the exceptional care and service they provide, but by the outrageously high numbers of suicide and death to service members waiting to be seen and treated through their facilities. We see brave Americans risking their life and limbs to defend this country only to return home to a flawed healthcare system. Since the beginning of the Second Gulf War, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has seen a surge of veterans coming in to seek help physically, and mentally. Even with the startup of the crisis hotline, a 24-hour support line, 22 veterans are committing suicide each day across the states. I want to find out if the crisis line is even effective. Also if this suicide rate has stayed its…
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all people in the U.S. while it’s the third of teenagers. Suicide is beginning to claim more young people's lives each year.…
For years our country has been going through life dealing with issues and problems. Some things just disappeared and no longer were issues, others had to be dealt with, and some are still a problem. War is one thing for centuries we have had to deal with and resolve, many of us worry about the people in the military and how their lives are in jeopardy. We always think that getting shot or blown-up is the worse way to die and basically the only way to die. We lack the knowledge and realization that many in the military suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). This has cost many soldiers there life during active duty and even long after the war. Our military has been denying and is un-willing to look at the fact that suicide in the military is sky rocketing, it is a climbing statistic. Why do they deny this? Is it because our government and military are worried that young recruits will refuse to join due to the training they receive will never prepare them for what they see in war? There could be many reasons, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer that the rate of suicide just keeps getting higher and higher in the military. The average civilian suicide rate compared to the average military suicide rate isn’t even close anymore and will…