While the Army Stands Down, Suicide Rates Are Still Up

Yesterday, against the backdrop of the Army's service-wide stand down for suicide prevention, the Army released its suicide numbers for August.

It's not good news.

They reported 25 potential suicides: 16 among active duty soldiers and nine in the reserve component. So far in 2012, the Army has reported 211 potential suicides among active duty and reserve members -- 211 too many.

The Army-wide suicide stand down, the first since 2009, aimed to familiarize soldiers with health services, suicide prevention and soldier fitness resources available and was part of Suicide Prevention Month. Other commendable efforts focused on reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health care and emphasizing that every service member and veteran is responsible for the well-being of the men and women to their left and right.

But combating this critical issue will take a national effort. And for this mission, failure is not an option. We must enlist more dedicated stakeholders to fight this battle.

This month -- from a joint Department of Defense (DoD) and Veteran Affairs (VA) suicide awareness campaign to a White House executive order to today's stand down -- we've seen renewed focus from Washington on mental health and suicide, but we need to see sustained commitment from the government and the country all year round.

With the stakes this high, service members, veterans and their families deserve transparency and accountability. Without comprehensive research and reporting on suicide and mental health status, the "sea of goodwill" cannot step up to effectively support the men and women struggling to transition.

Our nation's newest veterans face many challenges when coming home. These efforts to combat suicide and improve mental healthcare are welcome. However, they are only part of the solution to the challenges veterans face upon returning home.

Obtaining employment and quality education remain big obstacles, as well. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans continue to face higher levels of unemployment compared to civilians -- 10.9 percent as opposed to 8.1 percent in August, according to the BLS.

And Congress isn't being much help, either. In a disappointing move last week, the Senate put politics above progress and failed to pass the Veterans Job Corps Act, legislation that would put thousands of American heroes back to work. Some for-profit schools are also exploiting veterans' education benefits with low-quality education at extremely high costs. Instead of respected degrees, veterans are finding themselves with debt, zero job placement support and useless certifications.

This underlines the fact that just as we need a national effort to win the battle against suicide, we need the same collaboration to surge against veteran unemployment and other challenges facing the New Greatest Generation.

The costs are too high not to act.

To learn more about IAVA's recommendations on these issues and more, please see IAVA's 2012 Policy Agenda.

IAVA has partnered with the Veterans Crisis Line, a VA initiative, to bring resources to events and to provide IAVA's membership with direct and immediate access to mental health professionals. Add the Veterans Crisis Line number to your phone, it only takes a second - 1-800-273-8255, press 1 for veterans. Or text "838255" for support. If you're a veteran, join our discussion at Community of Veterans (COV) to learn more about the partnership and the warning signs of suicide.

 

 

 

Follow Paul Rieckhoff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PaulRieckhoff

Comments

[Eberr]

08:42 PM on 11/07/2012

My husband is a veteran, he went to a VA ER facility in our area. 10 am on a Tuesday and asked to speak to mental health. He was told and I quote "I'm short handed today and don't have time to enter you in the computer so come back tomorrow". No questions like "will you hurt yourself or others"...nope ...come back tomorrow. What if he went home and blew his head off. No tomorrow then but one less vet to "enter in the system".

[Vajara]

08:06 AM on 10/02/2012

We will do better to prevent suicides when the Mental or Psychiatric Sick Care System of Labeling & Drugging our Injured Warriors are put out of business. They hook up with the Big Pharmas and lack understanding, compassion, and health care services. The Injured are not brought together with resources to improve the quality of lives, health and relationships of the whole family and "Injured" Warriors. Our service members do not have a DISORDER for life as psychiatry claims, but, rather experience whole body, mind, emotion, spirit and social injuries at the celular levels requiring intensive & extensive services. Please visit our website that describes our integrative and holistic health plans for service members returning to our communities with battle buddies/service advocates and intensive & extensive health services. NO MORE LABELS and Antipsychotic Drugs....stop killing the spirit, mind and body of our great warriors! http://jerryvestinjuredwarrior.com

[sethr111]

03:23 AM on 10/04/2012

I couldn't agree more. I am one of those veterans who has been tagged as defective rather than wounded. The VA did not see me for 2 months initially (telling congress 2 weeks). When they do, NOTHING goes on BUT calibration of PILLS. No therapy, no nothing. If you ask for therapy, they will direct you to veteran group sessions to talk about how you should enjoy your life sucking. Rather than calling for emergency clean up of the claim backlog, Obama puts a ton of money into the suicide hotline. If a veteran was able to pay their bills and get treatment, would we have a need for expanding the suicide hotline??? Everyone asks how to stop the suicides, but when are we going to assign proper blame? What happens when "good" men do nothing?

[Vajara]

08:19 AM on 10/04/2012

Thank you for your service and for your personal response to this catastrophic experience you Injured Warriors are facing daily. I also don't see many opportunities for meaningful work that is essential for healing, restoration and resilience. You are so right on target about putting $'s into suicide hotlines when essential and life saving health and self preservation resources are required to prevent further pain and suffering.

[ttsgw]

01:42 AM on 10/02/2012

This only proofs that the vets have no value to the American people after they have done their patriotic duty as cannon fodder for the military industry, enriching their owners and executives. But of course, that's why the vets volunteered in the first place.

[ttsgw]

01:42 AM on 10/01/2012

This shows clearly that the Americans don't care for the vets. But they happily pay taxes if they are spent to enrich the owners and executives of the military industry.

[dowiwa we]

12:28 AM on 10/01/2012

First of all let me say that I am a vet that served in the army. Then let me say that while I acknowledge the problem and the magnitude of the problem of suicides among vets, I have no answers for the problem, so I sit and read and listen to the experts try with all their heart and skill to come up with ways to solve this problem or just to help. But I have begun to wonder lately how you can solve a problem whose parameters have not been properly defined. In the last 10 plus years we have sent our young men and women into foreign countries to fight 2 wars. Or young citizens have experienced fear and horror on a massive scale, and not just for one tour but multiple tours of duty. They are being asked to kill,and to be killed, and to experience atrocities that will forever scar them. I do not know the answer but I do know that the answer has to be more than " thank you for your service. " War hawks and politicians owe them More than " thank you for your service. " I am a vet from the Vietnam era (I did not see combat), and I owe them more than " thank you for your service." Until we can figure out and get the politicians to agree on what that more is then we cannot solve this problem.

[Kat Lib]

09:15 PM on 09/30/2012

None of my family has served in the military except one nephew who was in the MP in Europe. However, my most beloved brother was called up for service during the Vietnam War, and he chose to try to get CO status, even though he was not a Quaker and offered to serve as a medic or other non-combatant status. During his hearing, he could not acknowledge that he would not have served during WWII, which is I understand now a critical piece to getting CO status. He eventually spent 18 months of a two year sentence in prison, and not that long after getting out, committed suicide. So even though my brother never served, I still feel he was brave. My heart aches for those who have returned from all wars, especially those during and since Vietnam and the suicide rates are astounding and troubles me no end. What I would give to have my brother back and the same to all those families who have lost loved ones to the wars for whatever reason.

[Kali03]

05:37 AM on 10/01/2012

I'm so sorry for your loss all those years ago.

*hug*

[modeforjoe]

09:14 PM on 09/30/2012

Hell no, we won't go. There's a hero for you Reickoff.

[Kye154]

08:58 PM on 09/30/2012

The increase in suicides is just not a military thing. It is up all across the country. See: http://loop21.com/life/suicide-death-rate-exceeds-car-crashes-america. Why? Most everyone, including those that commit suicide in the military, are having fanancial difficulties.

[duh]

08:35 PM on 09/30/2012

Contrary to popular belief, human life is not sacred and need be lived to a prolonged ripe old age at all cost.

[ttsgw]

11:14 AM on 10/01/2012

No, join the army!

[pedernales]

07:54 PM on 09/30/2012

What kind of government sits back for years and years and allows these for-profit schools to steal such big money from our veterans and others? I mean, this is America, a place full of thieving, lying low-life trash, isn't it. Admit it. The government needs to be more vigilant. Isn't our lackadaisical President the Commander in Chief of our armed forces? You know, the President who orders our family members for multiple tours in war zones. By the way, if 2000 citizens have been killed in Afghanistan in eleven years, how can that be a war? Isn't it an occupation which, in certain ways,particularly psychologically, even more insidious than straight up fighting and dying? Something really bad is going on in our armed forces. Remember when the President, the Secretary of Defense, the head of the CIA, and almost all the Pentagon generals made our enlisted personnel take the fall for their institutionalized torture, even of children? What are the rich elites and politicians doing to us?

[sethr111]

03:30 AM on 10/04/2012

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
-Thomas Jefferson

I think he knew something here. smart guy.

[professor]

06:57 PM on 09/30/2012

The US always "turns its back on veterans." Never didn't. The GI Bill was just a bandaid and the only reason it passed was because there were too many of them and they had been drafted from out of the civilian population.

[professor]

06:56 PM on 09/30/2012

One is inclined to think it is guilt. But the cause is more typical. They are fed handfuls of psych_ act_ve youknowhats every day, to keep them at what they would ordinarily abhor.

Those thingies they take like candy are supposed to prevent s__c_de. They don't.

[Hoodooman]

06:09 PM on 09/30/2012

Our military is not standing down.

[neocarekb]

03:09 PM on 09/30/2012

NO ONE HATES WAR MORE THAN A SOLDIER.......NO ONE LOVES WAR MORE THAN A POLITICIAN!

[RandomJ]

04:33 PM on 09/30/2012

"NO ONE LOVES WAR MORE THAN A POLITICIAN!"

Especially neocon chickenhawks!

[neocarekb]

02:57 PM on 09/30/2012

I don't get it......HOW can the US Congress (and Senate) continually turn their back on Veterans? I think there are two reasons why this country always praises the military and craps on veterans. One is that we don't have loud enough voices on our side. Neither one of these clowns running for president have any military experience. Two, not enough Americans identify with veterans. After world war II, everyone could identify with, and empathize with veterans. Today, most Americans have the attitude of:"Veteran, Veteran, I don't know any Veterans. Why should I care."
It's time for mandatory military service, just like they have in Israel.......(even if it is just for 8-12 months) ........It also might teach our kids some discipline, confidence and self reliance.
Otherwise, we will face the same fate as the Romans when they went to an "all volunteer army".

[RandomJ]

04:36 PM on 09/30/2012

Once we get our facts straight we can see the problem... It was solely Senate Republicans that actually blocked the just recent $1 billion dollar Veterans Job Corps Act.
The Veterans Jobs Corps Act is a top priority for the Obama Administration that was detailed in the President's budget recommendations to Congress earlier this year.

[promiddleclass]

05:42 PM on 09/30/2012

F&F
not only military mandator service, but allow civilian corps service.