Suicide And The Impact On The Survival Of Veteran Suicide

Depression is another mental condition that many veterans struggle with. Veterans struggle with depression for a variety of reasons. Some lost close friends, or sometimes even family while fighting. For others, depression is caused by the events that happen after they come home from war. Veterans who have a hard time readjusting to civilian life or struggle with recovering from mental or physical damages often feel a lack of purpose. Albert Gomez, an official at a small vet center in Farmington NM said, “A lot of Veterans long to be back in service even though it is not reasonable because they feel they don’t have a purpose.” Mr. Gomez realizes that this lack of purpose found among veterans is one of the major causes of depression found

Combat veterans are among the highest at risk for issues in transitioning form military life to civilian. Many potentially suffer from both physical and/or mental traumas. Many veterans and even active duty services members have allowed the unofficial culture of if you need mental or medical help you are weak. Many military families are also afraid of utilizing family support mechanisms out of fear of

War, a slaughter of mankind that has gone on for hundreds and thousands of years. One of the most gruesome wars was WW1 which lasted for 4 years from 28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918. In this devastating war, the total number of casualties includes about 11 million military personnel and about 7 million civilians. Many of those soldiers were young men. The poem “Suicide in the trenches” written by Siegfried Sassoon describes the harsh experiences in the trenches and how many soldiers became depressed. Sassoon was an officer who earned a military cross after carrying a wounded soldier through enemy’s crossfire. He fought in many battles until 1917 when he was hospitalised due to Shellshock. Sassoon criticized the political leaders who sent young men off to die in huge battles that seemed pointless, and while Sassoon was in Hospital he opposed the war by writing many poems, including “Does it Matter”, “The Hero’ and arguably the most tragic poem, “Suicide in the Trenches”.

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

There are an alarming number of veterans who suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. The suicide rate on returning veterans is on the rise. In California, service members were killing themselves and family members at an alarming rate. After an investigation, it was apparent that they do not have enough properly trained individuals to over see

There are many issues within the military organization that require focus and resolve in order to maintain the superior fighting force that protects the homeland. Unfortunately solider suicide is one of those issues. Suicide is the deliberate taking of ending of one’s life. It is often associated with a severe crisis that does not go away, or may worsen over time (Warning Signs, n.d.). This issue requires knowledge and training to help protect fellow soldiers. The military organization has decided that required annual training be conducted to every person wearing the uniform. The goal of this training is to increase awareness of suicide risk factors, warning signs, and how to provide intervention to at-risk soldiers.

The veteran population is a highly diverse and prominent population group within the United States. Over time their specific healthcare needs have been at the forefront of political discussion and legislation. Due to their disparities of healthcare that continue to grow and change overtime, recent reforms have been set in place to continue to provide healthcare to veterans. This paper will discuss a brief summary of recent reforms of the Veteran Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (H.R. 3230) and the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act of 2014 (Clay Hunt SAV Act). From this summary it will then be appropriated how these reforms adhere to the social justice framework presented by John Rawls in the Rawlsian “Justice as Fairness” liberal theory and promote the path towards social justice by providing ways for veterans to overcome their healthcare disparities. This paper aims to examine how these healthcare reforms continue to serve veterans in having equal access and fair quality of healthcare within their population group and as a product of societal obligation to provide care for them.

(Zilvin 2007). A study was conducted to identified higher risks of suicidal in veterans, and the conclusion stated that veterans that are depressed have higher risk for suicide. This results can assist to focus on a certain group continuously and monitor closely to detect suicidal behavior and prevent it. Another cause of suicide is PTSD leads to depression and if not treated could lead to suicide but more study is to be done. ?For example, use and frequency of psychotherapy visits and adherence to psychiatric medications could influence the relationship between depression, PTSD, and completed suicide? (Zilvin 2007).

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.

On February 12, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (Clay Hunt Act) that will work towards expanding and allowing for greater efficiency and coherence within The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health services and suicide prevention programs. The Clay Hunt Act includes peer support and community outreach pilot programs, requirement of 3rd party evaluations, collaboration with non-profit mental health organizations, creation of a centralized interactive website for all mental health services, extended combat veteran eligibility and an incentive loan repayment program for psychiatrists. The Clay Hunt Act was named after a marine veteran who died by suicide in March 2011 after a long battle with post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt. Clay had extensive difficulty receiving adequate mental health services from the VA. He commented to his mother, “I’m a guinea pig for drugs. They’ll put me on one thing, I’ll have side effects, and then they put me on something else (iava.org).” The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, and many other news organization have all run features on the struggle American Veterans have with accessing mental health services, including the VA’s lengthy wait times, staff shortage, and the sole focus on medication to treat mental health disorders. (……). Despite the VA’s current initiatives, the rates of suicide by veterans have continued to increase with the current

When thinking about veteran’s suicide, the one number that sticks in our mind is twenty-two. Meaning that twenty-two veterans commit suicide a day. This number is so etched into our society that it has been on the news. There are even organizations that hold twenty two mile runs and walks fundraisers to raise money and awareness to that number. However this number is not that amount of veterans that commit suicide. It is actually a lot more. This number of twenty-two veterans a day comes from a study done by the VA. However this study has flaws, and there is evidence that the number of veterans suicides is more than twenty-two a day.

The U.S. military produces some of the bravest most heroic men and women on earth. From the moment the oath of enlistment is made to the time of separation or retirement, these courageous souls endure a number of amazing, historic and sometimes unbelievable events. They are praise for their service and lift even higher for their sacrifice, although most are unaware of the true sacrifices are made by some of these men and women. The most visible sacrifices or “outer sacrifices” are loss of life or loss of limbs while the inner wounds are bouts with depression, sexual assault, divorce, and most common alcohol other drug abuse.

Twenty-two United States Veterans commit suicide every day, giving approximately one thousand seven hundred and eighty Veterans deaths due to suicide for the year of 2016 to date (“Operation Never Forgotten”). Veteran suicide is an ongoing problem because veterans enter the civilian world directly after receiving discharge from the armed forces and struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and acute stress, and anxiety (“Veterans ' Services”). Veteran suicides have become a large concern for members of the United States Armed Forces, Operation Never Forgotten (ONF) is an organization that is helping veterans find purpose and a reason to live, by working with the U.S. Congress, they could pass a law

(2012) suggest that suicide prevention strategies must be implemented by professionals who understand military culture and the unique pressures of social cohesion and mental health stigma. Braswell and Kushner (2012, p. 535) agree that efforts must be implemented in a way that “account for the lived experience of soldiers.” Although these recommendations are in line with a growing body of academic scholarship on the topic of military suicide, it will be difficult to implement successful policy without a better understanding of what is behind the difference and change in suicide rate. With incomplete information or a lack of causality, policymakers will be unprepared to determine if the outcomes of their actions are an improvement compared to maintenance of current

The subject matter of suicide in the trenches is about the mental illness and severe depression of a young soldier in the trenches during world war 1. The soldier’s depression is displayed clearly even before his suicide is described. This poem was written by Siegfried Sassoon to display the horrid conditions and mental state of young soldiers in the trenches during the war. It is intended to criticise the boredom, loneliness, health conditions and patriotism that many soldiers faced in the trenches. The poem describes the grief and depression that the soldiers felt during these times and opposes the war propaganda planned by the government. It is meant to convey the message that war was not a fun experience or adventure and that the conditions will drive many soldiers into depression or even suicide in extreme cases.