The God Factor : Exploring The Roles

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

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

Veterans of the Iraq 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.

A service member’s emotional and psychological issues are not like malfunctions of a piece of equipment and must not be treated as a troubleshooting problem in a technical manual. And yet this seems to be the only way the military, as a whole, knows how to address the issue of a service members mental health. It requires a holistic approach that is not currently embraced by the military. Historically, the military has been ill-equipped to handle the shifting nature of the psychological issues created by introducing a service member to the battlefield.

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

My first research question is what causes some veterans to commit suicide. I have found a lot of answers to this question regarding why veterans commit suicide. I have found that this issue can be caused by untreated mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, and

Second, friends and family need to get their loved ones to a hospital and talking to someone who can professionally help them. Finally, the Veterans Affairs office must educate friends, family, employers, and institutions like colleges and community organizations, as to how best to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) so that they can get them help sooner rather than later. It is time to stop veteran suicides and to get people to understand that they are the first stepping stone to getting their loved ones the assistance they need. Friends, family, institutions and organizations must appreciate that they are capable of stopping their loved ones from committing suicide on account of the traumas inflicted upon them by military

There is a common belief that many combat veterans are suffering; many from invisible wounds that affect them in many ways. The challenge that the VA and other government agencies face is determining which veterans need help, there are several factors that affect this, from the individual’s desire to

This pilot program is required to be implemented in not less than five Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). The program includes community oriented veteran peer support networks that will provide peer-support training guidelines and the development of a network of veteran peer-support counselors that are trained and readily available to veterans. Also creation of community outreach team for each medical facility that will assist veterans transitioning into communities, establishment of an veteran transition advisory group to facilitate outreach activities, collaboration with community and government organization to help provide thorough services to veterans, and coordination with the VISNs to carry out an annual mental health summit to assess the veteran mental health programs an care and to develop new means to providing services (Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act, 2015). Evaluation of the community outreach pilot program is required 18 months after its initial inception and the final report is required 90 days before the dissolution. The pilot program is for a term of 3 years (Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act, 2015).

Keywords: Clay Hunt SAV Act, veteran suicide Policy Analysis: Clay Hunt SAV Act 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

PTSD or Veterans Counseling Sara E. Seashole School of Professional Counseling Lindsey Wilson College Author Note Sara E. Seashole, The School of Professional Counseling, Lindsey Wilson College. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sara E. Seashole, P O Box 1433 Harlan, KY 40831. Email: Sara.Seashole@lindsey.edu   Abstract This paper is about counselors who choose to work with

Many veterans are unable to leave behind the trauma of Vietnam and psychologically return home. They struggle with a variety of extremely severe problems that neither they nor their families, friends, or communities knew how to understand

In the essay, I will conduct a Bio-Psychosocial-Spiritual Assessment on a veteran I been working with that the Department of Veterans Affairs in Little Rock. I will also use the appropriate DSM-V diagnosis, the appropriate evidenced-based practice intervention to match the needs identified for the client. Also I will development of a phase-oriented, culturally responsive, research-informed practice plan that involves diverse practice modalities will also be included. Plus issues of diversity, gender, race, ethics and use of professional self will be explored.

(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 care that the VA provides our soldiers is unacceptable and must be changed. After returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are allowed 2 free years of mental health treatment. A survey of the population showed that 31% of 103,788 seen at the Veterans Affairs, VA, Hospital were diagnosed with a mental health or psychosocial disorder of the 31% over half had 2 or more distinct diagnoses. The dropout rates prove that the programs offered are ineffective and have very little strength (Seal, Bertenthal, Miner, Sen, & Marmar, 2007). One community asset that has provided outstanding programs and care to veterans for the past year is Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).