A Veteran Dies By Suicide Every 80 Minutes, Center For A New American Security Study

Comet · #1 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 01:42 AM

If these statistics are indeed true, this is extremely sad, tragic and breaks my heart.

Quote:

A veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes, according to a study published Monday.

Military suicides have increased since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a Center for a New American Security Suicide report. In the fiscal year 2009 alone, 1,868 veterans of these wars have made suicide attempts, according to armytimes.com.

These staggering figures underscore the need for the VA to develop more mental-health programs and an accurate system for recording the number of veterans and service members who take their lives.

"America is losing its battle against suicide by veterans and service members," authors Dr. Margaret C. Harrell and Nancy Berglass concluded. "And as more troops return from deployment, the risk will only grow."

Faced with the stigma of post-traumatic stress disorder, unemployment rates tipping 12 percent and a loss of the military camaraderie, many veterans report feeling purposeless upon returning home.

Marine Corps veteran Jason Christiansen, 35, of St. Paul, Minn. is one such veteran that nearly killed himself after watching his life unravel upon completing his service. He lost his job as an auto dealer in 2008, avoided debt collectors and fell into a serious depression, Minnesota.publicradio.org reports.

"At one point, I was sitting there with a gun in my mouth," Christiansen told the news outlet.

A friend pushed Christiansen to seek help at a VA program, a key player in the rescuing of veterans in despair.

The Veterans Crisis Line, launched in 2007, has fielded more than 400,000 calls and has saved more than 14,000 lives, according to the Veterans Affairs mental health website.

The epidemic is raging among those who are currently serving too. From 2005 to 2010, approximately one service member committed suicide every 36 hours, the CNAS study revealed.

While the VA mental-health programs have proven to be effective, the authors of the report offered concrete suggestions on how to prevent even more military members and veterans from taking their lives.

Establishing an Army unit cohesion period

When soldiers are deployed to a new mission, the unit quickly disbands, leaving service members reeling from the loss of the leaders and the service members that they had learned to trust and rely on. "This lack of unit stability following a deployment has unfortunate implications for individuals struggling with reintegration," Harrell and Berglass noted. The authors suggested that the Army follow the Marines protocol of keeping a unit together for 90 days following deployment.

Discussing personally-owned weapons with service members

Though 48 percent of military suicides in 2010 occurred at the hands of privately-owned weapons, the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act bars military leaders from broaching the topic with military members, even if they appear to be severely depressed. The authors want Congress to rescind the act, so that military leaders can, at the very least, suggest that service members purchase gunlocks or store their weapons outside of the home if they suspect that they may be at risk for committing suicide.

Improving the analysis of veteran suicide data

The VA estimates that about 18 veterans commit suicide every day, but this statistic is based on limited data. Only 16 states submit the cause of death among veterans and the VA relies on 3-year-old data for its reports. Improved information collection could help determine if veterans are committing suicide soon after leaving the military and if there's a higher risk among post-9/11 veterans compared with earlier generations, the study noted.

"The DOD does not currently take sufficient responsibility for veteran suicide," the authors said. "Given the potential implications of veteran suicide for the all volunteer force, the DOD should seek to understand which veterans, and how many veterans, are dying by suicide."

A Veteran Dies By Suicide Every 80 Minutes, Center For A New American Security Study Reveals

1069 · #2 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 06:41 AM

I've read stats about the very high propensity for suicide among military members and veterans, back when my son was in the army.
But you must take into account that young men in their late teens and early to mid 20s have a high rate of suicide whether or not they're in the military- the highest rate of anyone other than extremely elderly folks.
I'm not saying these statistics aren't tragic, just that many of these young men might have committed suicide whether they were in the military or in college, or working at McDonalds.

Mikeyy · #3 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 06:45 AM

Not to mention that many who enter the military these days have issues going in. Sometimes it's a choice between gangs, jail or the military as evidenced buy the gang influence reported by the recent report posted here a couple weeks back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1069

I've read stats about the very high propensity for suicide among military members and veterans, back when my son was in the army.
But you must take into account that young men in their late teens and early to mid 20s have a high rate of suicide whether or not they're in the military- the highest rate of anyone other than extremely elderly folks.
I'm not saying these statistics aren't tragic, just that many of these young men might have committed suicide whether they were in the military or in college, or working at McDonalds.

Spencer Collins · #4 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikeyy

Not to mention that many who enter the military these days have issues going in. Sometimes it's a choice between gangs, jail or the military as evidenced buy the gang influence reported by the recent report posted here a couple weeks back.

Correct,I've known a few passive aggressives and people who could not accept authority who had great difficulty coping in civilian life. They went from job to job and then finally joined the military. Once in the military,the same problems surfaced. Many are lucky to receive an honorable discharge. Sometimes.. the military is a magnet for people who cannot cope in society. I believe the percentage is relatively small,most in the military are highly dedicated patriots and I thank them for their service..

cnredd · #5 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1069

I've read stats about the very high propensity for suicide among military members and veterans, back when my son was in the army.
But you must take into account that young men in their late teens and early to mid 20s have a high rate of suicide whether or not they're in the military- the highest rate of anyone other than extremely elderly folks.
I'm not saying these statistics aren't tragic, just that many of these young men might have committed suicide whether they were in the military or in college, or working at McDonalds.

I'm along those same lines...

Check out this sentence from the article...

Quote:

Marine Corps veteran Jason Christiansen, 35, of St. Paul, Minn. is one such veteran that nearly killed himself after watching his life unravel upon completing his service. He lost his job as an auto dealer in 2008, avoided debt collectors and fell into a serious depression

Maybe I'm wrong here, but this shows me NOTHING about this vet attempting to commit suicide due to being a vet, having been through a war, or having post-traumatic stress disorder...Sounds like his problems stemmed from situations that have happened to ordinary citizens everyday...Even if one were to believe it may have been a contributing factor, it's clearly not the cause...

I'd also like to know the comparisons to the public...with this economy, I imagine the percentages of suicides would be up across the board...

And "yes", it truly is tragic...I have no intent to come across as simply saying "suck it up!" or anything like that...

rivrrat · #6 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 12:30 PM

Seeing as though someone attempts suicide every 40 seconds, and every hour 3 - 4 people die from suicide, it doesn't surprise me that a portion of them are vets.

mlurp · #7 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1069

I've read stats about the very high propensity for suicide among military members and veterans, back when my son was in the army.
But you must take into account that young men in their late teens and early to mid 20s have a high rate of suicide whether or not they're in the military- the highest rate of anyone other than extremely elderly folks.
I'm not saying these statistics aren't tragic, just that many of these young men might have committed suicide whether they were in the military or in college, or working at McDonalds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

I'm along those same lines...

Check out this sentence from the article...

Maybe I'm wrong here, but this shows me NOTHING about this vet attempting to commit suicide due to being a vet, having been through a war, or having post-traumatic stress disorder...Sounds like his problems stemmed from situations that have happened to ordinary citizens everyday...Even if one were to believe it may have been a contributing factor, it's clearly not the cause...

I'd also like to know the comparisons to the public...with this economy, I imagine the percentages of suicides would be up across the board...

And "yes", it truly is tragic...I have no intent to come across as simply saying "suck it up!" or anything like that...

First this is

.. And both of you make fine points.

Second so many of our troops and vets do have mental problems which relate to war.
It doesn't always suface as plain as day. But over years it does show up in their daily lives.

But any of you try a few tours in a combat zone and see if your the same as before you entered the military system?

We have a few combat members on PW, if they are willing to share ask them if I am right or wrong about the above remark.

I got back and with in a short time my Grandmother wrote DOD and asked why was I a different person.
Yet I never realised I had changed till years later. Yet about everyone I knew before saw these changes long before I did.

rivrrat · #8 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlurp

First this is

.. And both of you make fine points.

Second so many of our troops and vets do have mental problems which relate to war.
It doesn't always suface as plain as day. But over years it does show up in their daily lives.

But any of you try a few tours in a combat zone and see if your the same as before you entered the military system?

We have a few combat members on PW, if they are willing to share ask them if I am right or wrong about the above remark.

I got back and with in a short time my Grandmother wrote DOD and asked why was I a different person.
Yet I never realised I had changed till years later. Yet about everyone I knew before saw these changes long before I did.

You could really say that about anything though. We change all the time according to our experiences. A stint in the military isn't unique in that regard.

mlurp · #9 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rivrrat

You could really say that about anything though. We change all the time according to our experiences. A stint in the military isn't unique in that regard.

Combat is a life changing experience if you survive it.

rivrrat · #10 (**permalink**) 11-03-2011, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlurp

Combat is a life changing experience if you survive it.

As are many things. So a military stint isn't unique in that regard.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Comet For This Useful Post:
AK Gandy, mlurp

The Following User Says Thank You to Mikeyy For This Useful Post:
mlurp

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Spencer Collins For This Useful Post:
Mikeyy, mlurp

The Following User Says Thank You to mlurp For This Useful Post:
Mikeyy