60,000 Veterans suicided between 2008-2017

[Eldorado]

"The Department of Veterans Affairs released an alarming report Friday showing that at least 60,000 veterans died by suicide between 2008 and 2017, with little sign that the crisis is abating despite suicide prevention being the VA's top priority.

"Although the total population of veterans declined by 18% during that span of years, more than 6,000 veterans died by suicide annually, according to the VA's 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report."

At Military dot com (September) : https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/09/23/alarming-va-report-totals-decade-veteran-suicides.html

At the VA: https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5317

PDF: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2019/2019_National_Veteran_Suicide_Prevention_Annual_Report_508.pdf

Edited November 17, 2019 by Eldorado
add VA links

[Gwynbleidd]

Omg that's horrifying.  This ^^   

Obviously, whatever support is being given can clearly be worked on, especially with numbers that high.  That's extraordinarily high, for Veterans alone.  I'm just astounded. 

[Habitat]

Sounds awfully high, but reading the article, 1.5 times the rate in the general population, corrected for age etc.

[Tatetopa]

I shared an office with a couple of vets for three years.  One a marine with Iraq tours and one a special forces guy who did two tours if Afghanistan.  I was pretty close to the Iraqi vet,even got invited to his weeding. He had nightmares, trouble sleeping, woke up in a panic.  Once he was flailing and hit is wife by accident..  We would talk sometimes.  He carried a lot of burdens, nearly being killed several times, and being in the awful position of killing people attacking him. One about 12 years old;  and hat haunted him.   If it were not for his wife, he would have been lost.  She is wonderful.  The VA put him through a lot trying to get treatment.  Sometimes they were helpful, sometimes not., even when they tried.  He knew someone in his platoon that had taken his own life.   My other  office mate went off the deep end, kidnapped and raped a woman, then locked her in his basement,  His wife had to call the cops.  She said she was afraid for her and the kids.  He was taken away, I really don't know what happened to him.

It is very hard what we ask people to do in war. And for the soldiers it does not end when they come home. 

I had a friend about my age, an operator in my area who was a Vietnam vet.  I knew him for 20 years, We would have coffee at break sometimes.  After all of that time, he broke down in tears one day.  His family got him into a VA hospital.  He came back a time or two to see us, but never back to work full time.  He told me once about the nightmares.  He was a helicopter door gunner,  He said he saw some terrible things happen to some of his buddies, but worse for him is some of the terrible things they did.

'I know war is sometimes necessary, but it better be very damn necessary.  I despise the chicken hawks who sit back comfortably  and send our troops into war knowing that they themselves are above putting themselves into danger.

We owe  vets  so much and then pinch pennies when it comes time to take care of them.

 

[Grim Reaper 6]

9 hours ago, Eldorado said:

"The Department of Veterans Affairs released an alarming report Friday showing that at least 60,000 veterans died by suicide between 2008 and 2017, with little sign that the crisis is abating despite suicide prevention being the VA's top priority.

"Although the total population of veterans declined by 18% during that span of years, more than 6,000 veterans died by suicide annually, according to the VA's 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report."

At Military dot com (September) : https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/09/23/alarming-va-report-totals-decade-veteran-suicides.html

At the VA: https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5317

PDF: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2019/2019_National_Veteran_Suicide_Prevention_Annual_Report_508.pdf

Iraq and Afghanistan really had a detrimental effect on our soldiers. I personally knew two soldiers who took their own lives after coming home. Nothing upsets me more than this senseless lose of lives, I have PTSD myself, and there are days when I don't want to get up, but so far I have never considered Suiside. But these things effect everyone differently, some people do not have the circle of support I have always had. 

In addition to all above I have had a near by VA Hospital to rely on if I needed it. Again many of our soldiers don't have that form of support in their area. While they could go to any hospital for help, it's just not the same as discussing your situation with others who have been through what you have and suffer from the same problems. All I can say is if anyone has a loved one serving of Nation, watch them closely and listen intently if they want to talk about things that happened to them while deployed. If they are not talking or if they are acting depressed or detached you need to talk with them about their current feelings. 

Letting them know how much you care and how worried you are about them may be all that is needed for them to seek professional help if they need it. If that doesn't work call a suicide hotline or seek out a health professional and ask them what you should do next. Many of these suicides can be stopped if those closest to the service member react if they see a problem, but no matter how hard we try we will never stop them all, sometimes before anyone realises there is problem it's already to late.

Sorry for the rant.