Veteran suicide is a horrible problem we must battle.
How do we understand and do something about veteran suicide? First we need to understand suicide itself.
Typically, when someone kills themself three things have happened. In reality it’s obviously more complicated than this, but it is a good place to start:
1) They are in long-term physical and/or emotional pain.
2) They feel like they are a burden on others.
3) They are familiar with the method of suicide.
A veteran suffering from PTSD, TBI, debilitating injury, etc. can fit this mold:
1) The long-term effects of PTSD, TBI, and/or physical injury can beat you down, make you feel hopeless, and kill your will to live.
2) You were trained to be the caregiver, the warrior, the protector. Now, you feel like you are the one who has to be taken care of, and if anger, fear, etc. are part of your symptoms, you feel guilty that those close to you suffer/are burdened because of it.
3) Guns. Veterans are trained in the uses of firearms. There is nothing scary about handling them to the vet. They know they will not fire unless they pull the trigger if handled safely. Thus, they can put that gun to their head a thousand times knowing it won’t go off unless they pull the trigger. But sometimes, on the 1,001st time, after a bad day, a bad phone call, whatever, in a moment of extreme despair the trigger is pulled.
WE MUST ENGAGE OUR VETERANS BETTER!!!!!!
Don’t look at the VA and say it is their responsibility. The VA needs our help. They are our sons, daughters, husbands, and wives. Engagement begins with us. Research has found that if you can break the cycle of suicide in any way you can save a life.
1) If they are in pain do anything you can to relieve it. The best way, help them live. Take them on a trip, out to dinner, to their favorite activity, help them dream. Let them know going to a Doctor for help isn’t who they are, it is what they need to do to live again.
2) Let them know they aren’t a burden on you, you are fighting this with them. It’s tough for both of you, but it is a battle worth fighting and winning.
3) Talk about the guns. Let them know they worry you, that you don’t want them to someday in a state of despair kill themselves. If you keep the closet door closed the monster gets bigger, if you talk about it the monster isn’t so scary.
22 veterans a day kill themselves, and that number is only veterans in the VA system they know are suicides. The 22/day was extrapolated from VA data from 21 states and didn’t include some big ones like Texas. Yet, even the 22/day alone is double the civilian suicide rate. In reality, the problem is much worse. I know of one Marine platoon that has had 9 suicides since they returned home and were discharged, and an Army platoon with 11. A platoon has about 40 men. That is 9 out of 40 and 11 out of 40. There is no exagerrating the demons of veteran suicide, it really is that bad.
This has been a terribly short explanation of the problem, I do workshops where I talk about this for hours. Hopefully though it has opened your eyes and you will begin to educate yourself more on this horrific and heart breaking problem.
Look out for each other. Speak up, reach out for help. Shine a light on the monster that is killing our loved ones.
For further reading, here is a great CNN article on how the 22 veterans a day killing themselves is actually an under reported number. Veteran suicide is truly an epidemic.
