April 24, 2010 Blog: “6,000 veterans committing suicide every year –- and 98 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan taking their own lives during fiscal 2009”
A recently released, first-ever analysis of Army suicides shows that more than half the 948 soldiers who attempted suicide in 2006 had been seen by mental health providers before the attempt - 36 percent within just 30 days of the event. Of those who committed suicide in 2006, a third had an outpatient mental health visit within three months of killing themselves, and 42 percent had been seen at a military medical facility within three months.
The report also deemed the military's suicide prevention training not applicable in a combat environment. And with only one behavioral health specialist per 1,000 service members – one per 700 soldiers and 2,000 Marines – the question is whether service members would be able to access help even if they overcame the military stigmas surrounding mental health issues.
For more detailed information, please go to:
http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.com/2007/10/more-than-50-of-armys-948-suicide.html
There are answers to these problems, most start with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) but there are as many causes for a suicide as there are those who are victims. As the Executive Director of Project “We Remember” almost every client that I talk with who comes from a combat environment has some degree of PTSD, this includes those Vets who served in Korea, Vietnam, and through today’s conflict’s.
The military seems to over prescribe psychotropic drugs, with little to no counseling or monitoring while deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Reports are being release almost every day that speaks of the short comings of our VA and VA Hospital actions in helping. Questions are raised as to why the issue of PTSD and/or those who have suicidal thoughts are treated more by drugs than by counseling. We must ask ourselves, what can we do as “We The People…”to become a bridge to health for our Veterans rather than a sympathetic group of civilians who appreciate our Freedoms but don’t seem to have the time or money to help.
It is time that you stepped forward to be a part of the solution. You are probably asking how you, just an ordinary citizen can help? I believe that only you the ordinary citizen has the power to “stand up “along with your friends, family, neighbors, Project “We Remember” and in one loud voice let our government know that we are not going to stand by and see our hero’s thrown away after they have been used up in fighting for this country.
Please, stand up with me and Project “We Remember” by going to www.projectweremember.org and subscribe to our newsletter and blog. I will continue to fight for our Veterans, will you?
The next blog will continue talking about these issues that affect every Veteran alive today. Join us today, because today is enormously important to every Veteran and their family. You can help! Just stand up with us and say “No More to A Failure to Act!”
Please forward this to everyone on you mailing list, the absence of information about what is happening to our Veterans can be deadly.