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A thesis statement about suicide in the military
A thesis statement about suicide in the military
A thesis statement about suicide in the military
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Suicide in the Military
SGT Rios Aponte, Luis A.
NCOA EN ALC CLASS 12T03 004-15, Fort Leonard Wood
SGL: SSG Clapp, Jacob
17 July 2015
Suicide in the Military
It is not a surprise that in our rank there are many service members that at least once in their life they have this kinds of thoughts about hurting them self or even worse, to commit suicide. In recent years the Department of Defense has put a big emphasis and efforts in the fight against that real bad trend in our ranks. In fact all branches of the military services has programs in place that deal specific on suicide prevention. As members and leaders in the military service is our responsibility to know what sources, programs or systems are available for us to use in order to prevent more suicide to happen in our ranks.
According to Clifton’s news article, Suicide Rate in Military at Highest Level in Ten Years (Jun 8, 2012), during the first quarter of the year 2012, the military services were impacted with 154 suicides only on active duty members. 2012 was the worst year in terms of
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Yes, lack of discipline, because for me, most of the people that commit suicide also have a reason for living, but because their weakness, they only see suicide like their only option to get out they temporary problems. I personally understand that that human being may not see a solution to the situation they are having during those stress moment in their life, but is there where a discipline and a responsible person will step back for a moment and analyze the situation in order to stop all those thoughts that may escalate further and take over their
Basu, Moni. "Why Suicide Rate among Veterans May Be More than 22 a Day." CNN. CNN, 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
All trained professionals associating with possible suicidal veterans need additional training, so they are capable of handling the situations and noticing the signs of suicide. Mazza, Giuliana, and Puskar emphasize the idea of evaluating the safety of every patient during each encounter is very important (4). Trained professionals should never miss an opportunity to prevent suicide from occurring. There is also a need for professionals to understand what the soldier went through during active duty, but they must also fight the stigma that a soldier asking for help is a sign of weakness. In an article John McCarthy et al. agrees that professionals have to be capable of reviewing patients risk for suicide, but it requires a high level of clinical skill, and the ability to give soldiers a reason to trust (1935). Bossarte, Claassen, and Knox add that both the psychological and physical trauma connected to combat increases the risk for suicide (460). When soldiers are injured in war they are often medicated on the battlefield with drugs so they can return to the war as quickly as possible (McCarl 409). This can led to veteran’s dependency on drugs, or the idea that they need to suppress feelings and emotions and it is easier than dealing with them. The veteran coming home needs access to trained assistance at all times, but those assisting have to truly care and want to prevent anything bad from happening to the new veteran. McCarl mentions the situations when Randen, a soldier, seeks help numerous times from the VA, but he is sent home repeatedly without any help. Continuously seeking assistance is a cry for help and signifies the severity of the situation for that soldier (Mazza, Guiliana, and
World health Organization (WHO) (2011). Facts and figures, Suicide. Retrieved November 2, 2011 from http://www.WHO.int
There are many risk factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempts. Risk factors include self-destructive behavior which may be related to life events, unfavourable home environments, or a genetic component. Personality traits like aggression and hostility or feeling introverted or hopeless play a role in suicides. Loss of control, poor problem solving techniques, or rigid cognitive life styles are also characteristics of suicides. Similar traits are found in depressive behaviors. Teenagers may have been exposed to others who have had suicidal behaviors.
Suicide of Vietnam Veterans The deaths that were experienced in Vietnam due to Agent Orange and other jungle diseases have become well known by the general public. However, it is suicide that has resulted in the deaths of over 150,000 Vietnam soldiers during and after the war. An enormous amount of suicides resulted from what most people call “protecting our country”.
The United States of America possess a major complication, which is the high amount of suicides in the military. Most people are unaware of the risks from being in the military until it is too late to assist them. Serving in the military can cause PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), which then leads to complications with family situations, financial issues, and depression. Without proper therapy, many soldiers are at high risk of committing suicide. According to researchers, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. military, with rates ranging between 9 to 15 deaths per 100,000 service members (Bryan, et al. 1). Typically, Caucasian male service members are more at risk of suicides than any females (****). This affects multiple civilians that have family or friends who are serving in the military. Furthermore, this matter is important because not only are they civilians who commit suicides, but they are the leaders who stepped up to protect and defend our country. America needs to aid its troops for the sake of the nation’s defense. In order to reduce the amount of suicides during and after being deployed from the military, the military must require soldiers to know of ways to help themselves and others in need of assistance. A few ways to aid soldiers are suicide hotlines, counseling
In the past decade, suicide rates have been on the incline; especially among men. According to the New York Times (2013), “From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent… The suicid...
Suicides among U.S military members, both active and reserve, have become increasingly common as shown in Figure 3. Beginning after the...
The transition to civilian life has left many young veterans desperate as suicide rates among veterans are much higher than that of the civilian population. In fact according to (Basu, 2013), “the annual suicide rate among veterans is about 30 for every 100,000 of the population, compared with the civilian rate of 14 per 100,000. The analysis of records from 48 states found that the suicide rate for veterans increased an average of 2.6% a year from 2005 to 2011 -- more than double the rate of increase for civilian suicide.” As these brave men and women have given so much to protect this country it is important to look at why suicide rates among veterans are so high and propose a possible solution to this horrible problem.
With a suicide rate 50 percent higher than civilians, there are too many young veterans committing suicide in the U.S.. Once separated from military service, men and women become veterans and do not have as much support as they did while in the service. They have disparate needs than civilians, and the military culture of mental toughness, with its emphasis on obedience, selflessness, and duty does not protect these young people from mental illness. Nor do current health care treatments or resources provided for transition into civilian life. In order to successfully help these veterans, we must use prevention tactics like screenings, counseling, and education to help them transition into civilian life and enjoy mental wellness.
“In 2014, an average of 20 veterans died from suicide each day” (Thompson 1). Mental health care for veterans has been a long debated topic. For years people have debated whether or not veterans need more assistance, privatized health care, or a complete reform of the current veterans affairs programs. It should come as no surprise that with roughly 20 veterans committing suicide each day, this program needs help. Without help the mental health status of United States veterans will only continue to deteriorate, suicides will increase, and more people will go untreated.
Suicide, it's not pretty. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's the
Matthew Miller, et al. "Suicide Attempts And Suicide Among Marines: A Decade Of Follow-Up." Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior 43.1 (2013): 39-49. MEDLINE. EBSCO. Web. 16 Oct. 2013.
Now the eighth-leading cause of death overall in the U.S. and the third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years, suicide has become the subject of much recent focus. U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, for instance, recently announced his Call to Action to Prevent Suicide, 1999, an initiative intended to increase public awareness, promote intervention strategies, and enhance research. The media, too, has been paying very close attention to the subject of suicide, writing articles and books and running news stories. Suicide among our nation’s youth, a population very vulnerable to self-destructive emotions, has perhaps received the most discussion of late. Maybe this is because teenage suicide seems the most tragic—lives lost before they’ve even started. Yet, while all of this recent focus is good, it’s only the beginning. We cannot continue to lose so many lives unnecessarily.
Often times when I heard the word "suicidal" I was curiously caused the person to do it. Growing up, I heard that people decided to commit suicide was because they "wanted attention, they wanted the easy way out, they were weak, they couldn't handle life, etc." Personally, I have significant people in my life that have felt like they wanted to commit suicide. So, this topic honestly is a difficult, yet, emotional one to discuss.