Mental Illness Is Defined At The Federal Level

Since 2009, suicide rates among those on active-duty status have stabilized at approximately 18 per 100 000. It is important to know the factors driving this increase for many reasons. The most important thing we can get from this is a better to way to both prevent and treat victims faced with thoughts of suicide.

The Air Force lost 38 airmen to suicide in 2008, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 airmen. The average over the past five years — since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom — was 11 deaths per 100,000 annually. Of the airmen lost in 2008, 95 percent were men and 89 percent were enlisted. Young enlisted men with a rank of E1 to E4 and between the ages of 21 and 25 have the highest risk of suicide. Recently released data indicates that active duty males carry, for the first time in known history, a suicide risk greater than that of comparable males in the general population (Psychotherapy Brown Bag, 2009). This is particularly noteworthy considering that the military entrance process screens out serious mental illness prior to entry onto active duty, and that the rate of suicide in military males has historically been significantly lower than comparable civilian populations. To help

Suicide rates in the military are at twenty-two a day and that was in two thousand one (Dao and Lehren). In two thousand two suicides were at the rate of ten point three per one hundred thousand people (Dao and Lehren). Suicide rates in two thousand twelve were at three hundred and fifty (Dao and Lehren). In two thousand one there were two thousand seven hundred and maybe even more because this statistic did not include National Guard and reserve troops who were not on active duty (Dao and Lehren). However, studies are finding that eighty percent of soldier suicides were non-combat related (Dao and Lehren). This study is causing a concern to the military for the aspects of the background checks that the soldiers have to go through to get into the military. This is causing concern in the metal health part of the multiple series of test that these soldiers have to go through. Questions are arising like “Are the test becoming to easy and are we letting to many people in for not the right reasons?” This leads to looking farther into the causes of suicide in the military.

The answers to this question amazed me. I have found out that close to 17 veterans commit suicide daily and, over a year, that number adds up to over 6,000 suicides. I have also discovered that half of veterans with suicidal thoughts and tendencies do not seek help for their problems out of fear of being judged. Perhaps the most shocking statistic I found was that during the Vietnam War, the number of veterans' suicide greatly exceeded the number of deaths caused during combat. The two main information sources I used to answer this question are my expert interview and a GALE article titled Growing Public Health Crisis of Domestic Violence and Suicides by Returning Veterans. I asked my expert specifically about the statistics of veterans' suicide and she gave me a lot of insight on the issue. The GALE article contains a lot of statistics such as the daily number of veterans' suicide. My thoughts about the statistics of veterans' suicide are mainly about how shockingly high they are. I was surprised when I found out that 17 service men and women commit suicide every day. I was even more surprised when the article said that over 6,000 suicides occur every year and I calculated that number myself just to make sure. My findings on the statistics of veterans' suicide are both shocking and twistedly

As a consequence of the stresses of war and inadequate job training, when they get out of the service many have fallen behind their contemporaries. If they are fortunate enough to become employed, many of them are unable to hold a job due to untreated PTSD and acquired addictions without services and counseling designed for them. These factors may place our returning veterans at a higher risk of suicide. In 2007, the US Army reported that there were 115 suicides among OIF/OEF veterans. This was the highest number of suicides reported since the Army started keeping track about 30 years ago. In general, the risk for suicide among these veterans was not higher than that found in the U.S. population (Tull). However, there are several programs and 24 hour suicide hotlines available for those that may contemplate committing suicide as an option.

Veteran suicide among our soldiers is a distressing and tragic reality. Per the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/Suicide-Data-Report-2012-final.pdf a staggering 22 veterans take their own lives each day. That's a suicide every 65 minutes. This is a heartbreaking truth that has not adequately received the attention it deserves from the civilian world. To add insult to injury http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-0202-veteran-suicide-20150402-story.html tells us that there are two key high-risk groups of soldiers who typically are ineligible for psychiatric care: those forced out of the military for misconduct and those who enlisted but were quickly discharged for other problems. In each of those groups, an average of 46 of every 100,000 former service members committed suicide each

In their study, Zivin et al. (2007) revealed that according to the Veterans Health Study, the prevalence of significant depressive symptoms among veterans is 31%. This is two to five times higher than that of the general US population. Of the 807,694 veterans included in their study, 1,683 (0.21%) committed suicide during the study period. Increased suicide risks were observed among male, younger, and non-Hispanic White patients. PTSD with comorbid depression was associated with lower suicide rates, and younger depressed veterans with PTSD had a higher suicide rate than did older depressed veterans with PTSD (Zivin et al.,

Statistics on suicide related behavior in the military are troubling. Following a stable suicide rate since 1977, military suicides increased in 2004 (Lineberry & O’Connor, 2012) and exceeded civilian rates in 2008 (Army STARRS). Current suicide rates per 100,000 among active duty (18.7), Reserves (23.4) and National Guard (28.9) remain significantly higher than that of the US civilian population (13.0) although more comparable to the US male civilian population (20.6). While accurate comparisons necessitate statistical adjustment to allow for the military’s disproportionately male population (Braswell & Kushner, 2010) the military increase is in sharp contrast to the stable civilian rate (Kessler, 2013). Active duty suicides (28.1%) further surpassed combat deaths (18.6%) in 2012 (MSMR, 2014). However, the decline of the OIF/OEF combat (Belasco, 2009) may provide a partial explanation.

Veterans, compared to the U.S. population, have a higher risk of suicide. Suicide is a major public health concern, with suicide being the 11th leading cause of death across all ages and the seventh leading cause of death in males. Depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, access to firearms, and a history of self-harm or suicide attempts are factors that place veterans at higher risk for suicide. The increased risk for suicide among veterans has been brought to public attention, which has lead The Department of Veteran Affairs to announce the prevention of suicide to be a major national priority. In response to the increase in suicide rates, the Department of Veteran Affairs has created a comprehensive suicide prevention efforts and has collaborated with the of Defense (DoD) to develop a clinical practice guideline based on best available evidence and expert consensus (Chapman & Ibrahim, 2015).

According to recent data, suicide is in on the top ten causes of death in the United States. As the staggering number of suicides increases to over 36,000 a year, and more than a 100 each day. (O’Neil 1) When looking at the data for military veterans, the numbers are even more alarming, as the increasing number, is caused for a national concern. In the past decade the demographics for veterans that committed suicide was predominantly was white male and in the age range of 18 years to 25 years old. Many of the reasons found for their suicide was mostly related to job satisfaction, money problems, or relationship issues. However, since the military has been engaged in war after September 11th, the demographics have changed. No longer is the demographic profile predominantly white, but now it involves several races, as well as age ranges that extend up to 44 years of age. The issues that have been found includes the stress of deployment, knowing when the time is up, the stress of leaving their families, the stress of possible dying, and other added stressors. As McCarl (2012) points out, “For these service members to survive the battlefield only to return home and commit suicide is a notion that reeks of depressing irony.” (McCarl 398) Suicides by Veterans have become a growing health concern, as many have come back from war, trying to adjust to civilian life. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the growing rates of suicide by war veterans. Examining the causes,

The highest rates of suicide in Veteran populations mimic those of the general population: being male, white, and elderly (York, Lamis, Pope & Egede, 2013). Currently, available literature agrees that the top influencing factors of Veteran suicide include depression, combat experience endured, and psychiatric disorders not previously diagnosed. Historically, the incidence of suicide has been 25% lower in military personnel than in civilian peers (Kane et al., 2013). However, with prolonged and repeated deployments seen in OEF/OIF/OND, the incidence of suicide has almost doubled among U.S. Marine and Army soldiers between 2005 and 2009. Firearms, the most frequent means of completed suicide in the general adult population, account for 41% of completed suicide of all military personnel, who are routinely trained in firearm use during basic training (Johnson et al., 2013).

OEF/OIF. Between 2001 and 2006, U.S. military suicide rates doubled. During this time, more deaths were attributed to suicide than to actual deaths due to combat in Afghanistan (Frueh & Smith, 2012). New data regarding the rate of suicide among U.S. military veterans, in January of 2010, reported that this rate had increased 26% (Bruce, 2010). In 2005, the VA had estimated that the suicide rate per 100,000 veterans ages 18 to 29 was 44.99, but this rate increased to 56.77 in 2007 (Bruce,

In discussion of suicide, one controversial issue has been the increase of service member suicides. The Department of Defense: Suicide Event Report, states that 269 active and reserved military personnel have committed suicide in 2014. Majority of these incidents found that most victims were Caucasian male, under the age of 30, with a High School diploma and a rank between E1-E9. The most common methods used were by firearm (68.3%) and by asphyxiation/hanging (24.9%). The Department of Defense states that majority of the firearms used were not military-issued. In addition, 1,126 service members attempted suicide. Unlike others, the majority of these members attempted suicide by alcohol and drug overdose. Furthermore, the suicide rate of active service members in 2014 were 19.9 per 100,000 and 21.9 per 100,000 with reserved service members. In comparison with 2012, the year 2014 saw a 3% decrease for active service members. However, in 2014 reserve service members had a rate 21.9, whereas in 2012 reserve service members had a rate 19.3, a 2.6% increase. 252 of these members were male and only 17 were female. 93 of these suicides were between the ages of 20 and 24 and steadily decreased with age. 174 only attained a high school diploma. 141 of these service members were married and 104 were never married. Out of 269 suicides, 116 were done in their own residence. The Department of Defense reports that only 74 service members spoke to someone regarding their suicidal thoughts

Over forty million Americans suffer from a mental health condition; and, unfortunately, fifty six percent do not receive any treatment at all. “Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion and behavior”(Psychiatry.org). People live with their conditions even though their quality of life and personal relationships may be negatively affected. When one lives in a state of denial about having a mental illness, they are cheating themselves out of living life to their fullest potential and will achieve true freedom only when they face the illness head on and seek recovery.

A severe mental illness (SMI) is an assembly of mainly psychotic conditions that are, by description, extensive and related to compromised societal functioning. As stated by the surgeon general’s report of 2010, one out of five adults, or nearly 40 million Americans, suffer from some type of psychological disorder annually. In addition, about five percent of the U.S population suffers from chronic mental disorder for instance, bipolar, major depressive disorders, schizophrenia and