According to a recent RAND Corp. study, roughly one in five soldiers returning from Iraq
and Afghanistan displays symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, putting them at a higher risk for suicide. Researchers
at Portland State University found that male veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide than men who are not veterans.
What do you think about these statistics? What should
the government do about this?
What should the public do?
This month, a former Army medic, Joseph Dwyer, who was shown in a Military Times photograph
running through a battle zone carrying an Iraqi boy, died of an accidental overdose after struggling with post-traumatic stress
disorder for almost five years.
Janet Kemp, national suicide prevention coordinator for the Veterans Affairs Department,
said the hot line is in place to help prevent deaths such as Dwyer's. "We just want them to know there's other options and
people do care about them, and we can help them make a difference in their lives," she said in an interview.
The VA teamed up with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to
launch the hot line last July after years of criticism that the VA wasn't doing enough to help wounded soldiers returning
from Iraq and Afghanistan. In April, two veterans groups sued the VA, citing long delays for processing applications and other
problems in treatment for veterans at risk for suicide. The department has spent $2.9 million on the hot line thus far.
The hot line receives up to 250 calls per day - double the average number calling when
it began. Kemp said callers are divided evenly between veterans from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars. Richard McKeon,
public health adviser for SAMHSA, said 10 to 20 of the 1,575 calls received each week have to be rerouted to high-volume backup
call centers throughout the country.
The VA estimates that every year 6,500 veterans take their own lives. The mental health
director for the VA, Ira Katz, said in an e-mail last December that of the 18 veterans who commit suicide each day, four to
five of them are under VA care, and 12,000 veterans under VA care are attempting suicide each year.
This month, the hot line began an advertising campaign in Washington area subway stations
and buses featuring the slogan, "It takes the courage and strength of a warrior to ask for help."
The veterans hot line, which is linked to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, received
55,000 callers in its first year, including both veterans and people who are concerned about them, according to figures being
released Monday. One-third of the 40 specially trained counselors are veterans themselves.
"We try to get them (callers) to talk about their situation and what they remember and
see if they can identify exactly what their issues are. I think there's a comfort in knowing that they can get some help from
people who do understand what combat stress is like," Kemp said.
From the call center, counselors instantly can check a veteran's medical records and
then connect the caller to local VA suicide prevention coordinators for follow-up, monitoring and care at local VA medical
centers. Kemp said that since the hot line started, 106 veterans have been steered to free medical care from the VA.
Kemp said the hot line was put in place specifically for those veterans who don't get
enough help until it's too late. "They have indicated to us that they are in extreme danger, either they have guns in their
hand or they're standing on a bridge, or they've already swallowed pills," she said. Kemp said 1,221 veterans who were in
such situations were rescued during the hot line's first year.
The VA is preparing for the eventual return of a large number of troops from Iraq and
Afghanistan. This could put added stress on the mental health screening program for returning veterans, which could lead to
a rise in undiagnosed mental health issues. The VA recently got enough money to double its suicide prevention staff and is
planning to hire 212 more people soon.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day by calling 800-273-TALK
(8255); veterans should press "1" after being connected.
What do you think about these statistics? What should
the government do about this?
What should the public do?
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___
On the Net:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Katharine Euphrat, AP Writer Copyright 2008 by the Associated Press.
