Veterans Suicide Essay

Veteran suicides have been increasing tremendously over the last several years. Certain events have to occur for this to happen, and with veterans returning from the battlefield, some veterans have many issues to overcome. According to Shane III (2014), from 2009-2011, the number of young veterans committing suicides has increased (para. 1). In the same article, veterans who are older, saw a decrease in the suicide rate, while their fellow veterans, who are under the age of 30, have been experiencing a 44 percent increase, which is approximately two veterans per day after they have been discharged for a few years (para. 3). According to Shane (para.7), out of the twenty two deaths per day, about five are patients have been seen in the VA

hospital system. Since being discharged from the military, some veterans have been experiencing different kinds of pressures; like adjusting to civilian life, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD), and other combat related injuries, which can lead to suicide and suicide attempts. As more veterans are returning to civilian life, the lack of available resources, and the difficulty in asking for help due to “socialized pride”, increases the likelihood of veteran suicide.
When it comes to suicide, or suicide ideation, the fact that admitting that there may be an issue, sometimes is hard for some to admit, even when it gets to the point of taking one’s life. Veterans are taking their own lives on an average of 22 deaths per day, or once every 65 minutes (Basu, 2013 para. 1). There have been several instances where veterans were not accounted for when suicide was involved. For example, if a homeless person dies as the result of suicide, his relatives may pressure the authorities not to list the death as a suicide because of the stigmas associated with mental illnesses (paras.9-11). If a veteran is shot and killed by law enforcement, in a “suicide by cop” situation, this is a situation that is not taken into consideration when looking at veteran suicides. For example, there was an instance where a female veteran was raped by a fellow serviceman, had not reported it to her superiors and tried to deal with it on her own. She was taking Zoloft, and then went on a drinking binge, where she ended up drinking herself to death. It was not until later that her family found out about the rape when they were reading her private journals and realized what she had happened to her while in the Marines (paras. 14-16). Up until this point, her family had not realized her inner turmoil that she was dealing with and had not known about the rape. What her family learned, explained more of her reckless behavior, and led them to believe that she had drank herself to death.
Veterans make up 10 percent of the U.S. population, but yet one out of five suicides are that of a veteran (para 18). Beside combat stress, sexual assault and depression are some factors that can cause a veteran to commit such a heinous act (Basu, 2013). Bryan states “military victims of assault or rape are six times likely to attempt suicide than military non-victims” (para 25). A problem that has been plaguing Vietnam Era veterans and the suicide rate is depression. These veterans are age 50 and above, and account for more than 69 percent of all suicides (para 26). This necessarily does not mean that the older veterans are suffering from issues from time in the military, but rather life in general. Their children are now adults and out on their own, some have been through a divorce, suffered loss of employment, are suffering from loneliness or have declining health.
Suicides, when compared to the rest of society, more resources need to be allocated to the veteran sector of the population. According to Kemp (2012), while the number of suicides reported as veterans has declined, the number of suicides is on the rise. Male veterans are older than those male suicides that are non-veteran (paras. 3-4). There is a slowing down in the rate of non-fatal suicides. Most of the non-fatal suicides choices are intentional poisoning and overdosing on drugs. A good majority of these veterans had been seen at a VA outpatient clinic before the event (paras. 9&11). This is a cry for help more than anything. Instead of taking one of the surest ways of ending their lives, like jumping from a building or using a firearm, the suicidal person used a method like ingesting poison or taking a handful of pills.
For some veterans, making that transition from military life into civilian life can be difficult and the way they deal with it is to turn to alcohol and drugs to help cope with what is these issues. In a scholarly article by Kaplan (2012) states that “As the eleventh leading cause of death among Americans of all ages, suicide remains a serious public health problem, and reducing suicide rates is the main focus for officials (para. 5). When looking at suicides, a few things are considered. One of them is suicidal behavior. Family and friends will discuss if talk of suicide had been brought up beforehand, or if there had been any suicide attempts. Blood alcohol concentration is another factor that is looked at and the descendant’s blood is tested to determine if alcohol is present. It will then be classified as either less than .08 grams per deciliter (para. 21). Another consideration that is taken into account is any life changing events. Friends and family members will report if the veteran had recently experienced, within the past couple of weeks, any type of crisis, no matter the size. If there may be any sort of an event that could cause stress for the veteran, then this may be a way for loved ones and medical professionals to step in and help avoid a situation for the veteran.
One of the hardest things for a veteran who has been to battle, who has been injured and/or lost friends as a result of combat, is to return home and have to deal with the mental anguish his/her own, having no one to talk to that will understand how they feel. In an article by Tsirigotis et al (2013), who is a clinical psychologist, he and the other researchers looked at the different methods of suicide in a study that was non-veteran based. Whereas with veterans, the use of firearms was the choice method, drug overdose was the most common method, wrist cutting was second choice, then hanging, jumping from a height, asphyxia, poisoning and walking into traffic. The study also found that if suicide was to be re-attempted, drug overdose and wrist cutting were the top choices and the least chosen ones were walking into traffic and asphyxia. But yet none reattempted poisoning (p.200). Drug overdose is the top choice among those who want to commit suicide. Wrist cutting is usually a planned event and is placed in a less lethal category. Wrist cutting generally is associated with a high mortality rate, and is more of a call for help. Jumping from a high distance though, is labeled as one of the most lethal methods of suicide though. The jumper has that feeling of helplessness, but yet does not have an impact, or idea on what happens after the jump (p.205-206).
As people get older and have health and mental health issues happening in their lives, they will tend to seek out attention on a more regular basis, In a peer reviewed article by Lauren Denneson et al (2010), a Core Investigator at the VA Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, she and the other authors state that there are over 5000 suicides yearly, and that veterans are two times as likely to take their lives as non-veterans.

It was shown that 45 percent of the veterans who had committed suicide had been in contact with their primary care providers, and 19 percent had made contact with their mental health provider. Older veterans generally are in more contact with their primary care provider than the younger veterans do. Fifty eight percent of veterans over the age of 55 were in contact with their primary care provider prior to death, and 11 percent in contact with their mental health provider prior to (para.2). Most veterans who had committed suicide had been seen for a normal check-up and had not gone in for mental health issues. If asked, the veteran may have denied it, or not have even been asked at all (para.29). There seem to be cases where veterans are using VA health facilities prior to death, but not utilizing the system to its full potential when desperately needed. It appears that the veterans are going and using the VAHC for normal health care needs, but when it comes down to desperate times, there is a break in the communication

somewhere.
No matter where, or what type of socio economic background a veteran comes from, when that person is suffering from an mental or emotional issues that arose from being on the battlefield, and those issues are not being treated, he or she can suffer just as much as any other person. John McCarthy et al (2012) wrote an article on the differences of care for veterans in rural setting to those in urban areas. In the 18 to 24 year old age group, 11.8 percent of recruits came from rural areas. Suicide rates for men the past 40 years has been more than those in urban areas. Rural areas have smaller populations and the communities are more spread out, which can lead to less social interaction (p.S111). Distance to VA facilities can possibly play a difference also. Firearm ownership is greater in rural areas than those who live in urban areas, so that could be a contributing factor
Suicide is a problem that is plaguing our veterans, along with the rest of the nation. Because of the pride that is instilled in veterans from the time entered into boot camp and throughout their career, it is hard to admit when there is something wrong, especially if it is depression. Depression is a stigma that not one person wants to have labeled on them. For some, it is a sign of weakness and while still on active military, it can put a stigma on a soldiers back that can be career ending. So having to ask for help is unheard of and veterans need to know that it is ok to ask and that it does not make them any less of a person by doing so and may help in lowering the suicide rates. This type of training can help all veterans, both young and old, to overcome and show that there is help available and there are other solutions.
This issue relates to social work because so many of these veterans suffer from PTSD, military sexual trauma, and other emotional issues. By treating the veteran for these issues and helping them cope with how they are feeing, a social worker can help a veteran see that there are people out there that love and care for them, and that life is worth living. But in order to do so, the veteran has to be willing to do so.