I heard a statistic that was truly shocking to me as a woman and a mother. That every 65 seconds that an American Veteran commits suicide. That they are either experiencing severe medical stonewalls getting veteran related care, can not find civilian employment, and can not afford housing, or feel it is the only option to provide for their families to name a few of the issues our Veterans face. That does not even mention that many are afraid to even identify they are veterans. Especially on line for fear of being labeled a scammer.

I am really wondering how the 99% of Americans feel about what is about 1% who serve when it comes to this statistic. Can we really spare that many of our "men". That is a frightening number to me. Any ideas how to change it?

These guys are trying to change it.....


"" Primo called friend and fellow veteran
Casey Gray and that night they launched
an Instagram suicide prevention page by
posting a message pleading with veterans
who are having suicidal thoughts to call
them, day or night.
They call it "22 Too Many" -- highlighting
an estimate of the number of veterans
who commit suicide every day. Veterans
responded immediately.
"Within the first three hours we saved one
person," said Primo. "Within the first 24
hours we saved five people, people who
were on the verge of suicide."
Casey Gray served in Iraq, lost friends in
combat and was severely injured in a
helicopter crash. He says his experiences
help him connect and built trust with
other veterans.
"Guys get to the point where they feel
secluded and they isolate and they need to
know that there's somebody still there for
them," said Gray.
There are now about 180 veterans offering
a lifeline on the "22 Too Many" Instagram
page and they've already helped more 400
veterans who were contemplating suicide.
When professional help is needed, they
contact a network of psychologists --
which includes Dr. Carrie Elk.
"Veterans take care of veterans in the
community and then they call me if they
need mental health help," explained Dr.
Elk. "It's a team effort and both are
needed."
Primo and Gray are currently developing
a website and a smartphone app which
will give vets more resources when they
find themselves in a dark place. They
intend on doing this for the long haul
with the goal of saving lives.
Primo's ultimate message to veterans:
"You're courageous enough to do what
you did in the military, just pick up a
phone and call. That's all you have to do."""
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-veteran-suicide-prevention-network-built-by-veterans/

We could nuke the countries that keep makin trouble with us.. No boots on the ground that way..

Female Veteran Suicide Rates 'Staggering'��
June 10, 2015 by Benjamin Krause ��

'��Though suicide has become a major issue for the military over the last decade, most research by the Pentagon and the Veterans Affairs Department has focused on men, who account for more than 90% of the nation'��s 22 million former troops. Little has been known about female veteran suicide.

The rates are highest among young veterans, the VA found in new research compiling 11 years of data. For women ages 18 to 29, veterans kill themselves at nearly 12 times the rate of nonveterans.

In every other age group, including women who served as far back as the 1950s, the veteran rates are between four and eight times higher, indicating that the causes extend far beyond the psychological effects of the recent wars.

The data include all 173,969 adult suicides -�� men and women, veterans and nonveterans -�� in 23 states between 2000 and 2010.

It is not clear what is driving the rates. VA researchers and experts who reviewed the data for The Times said there were myriad possibilities, including whether the military had disproportionately drawn women at higher suicide risk and whether sexual assault and other traumatic experiences while serving played a role.

http://www.disabledveterans.org/2015/06/10/female-veteran-suicide-rates-staggering/

****************************

Detailed study confirms high suicide rate among recent veterans
Posted by GPD on January 16, 2015

**see link for this entire article>>>

The new analysis, which will be published in the February issue of the Annals of Epidemiology, included all 1,282,074 veterans who served in active-duty units between 2001 and 2007 and left the military during that period.

The analysis matched military records with the National Death Index, which collects data on every U.S. death. It tracked the veterans after service until the end of the 2009, finding a total of 1,868 suicides.

That equates to an annual suicide rate of 29.5 per 100,000 veterans, or roughly 50% higher than the rate among other civilians with similar demographic characteristics.

The issue of veteran suicide has become a political cause for activists and legislators. One statistic has become a rallying cry: 22 veterans take their own lives each day.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/01/16/detailed-study-confirms-high-suicide-rate-among-recent-veterans/
*************************

It's appalling and as I've argued on another political community forum;
I think that allowing our military Guru's to dispense 'PROZAC PATCHES' to our active duty military humans was such a really-truly bad idea!!!

Those physic drugs clearing have 2-3 pages of 'WARNINGS' about suicide/mental anguish/mood swings/long range & short term depression etc., etc., etc., and they were putting them out there to any and all of our active duty service people and pulling that patch once they were 'HOME BOUND' for discharge of NON-Active Duty!

The worst 'WARNING/ALERT' clearly states; Do Not Stop Taking This Medication 'COLD TURKEY'...it must be monitored and reduced SLOWLY!

And it wasn't administered that way~~~
And the thought behind dispensing those 'PROZAC PATCHES'; was because of the deep-deep depression that those active duty military were suffering and extremely bad for the 2nd - 3rd tour of duty military!

The problem is bad and getting worse
Bart Billings, a former military psychologist who hosts an annual conference on combat stress, said the problem is real and it's growing.

"We have never medicated our troops to the extent we are doing now.... And I don't believe the current increase in suicides and homicides in the military is a coincidence," he told the paper.

Indeed, the Army suicide rate fell for the first time in four years in 2011, the result of aggressive service-wide efforts to identify those having problems early-on.

But the rate is still high. It's about 24 per 100,000 last year, which is higher than a similar demographic among civilians, about 19 per 100,000. Among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, that rate is even higher - about 38 per 100,000.

Other problems are increasing too. "Sexual assault and domestic violence have increased. The percentage of soldiers committing sex crimes has increased 32 percent since 2006," USA Today reported. "The number of domestic abusers in the Army grew by almost 50 percent from 4,827 in 2008 to 7,228 last year. During that same, the number of child-abuse offenders is up 62 percent from 3,172 to 5,149."

Too many meds, too little control
Clearly, the up-tempo has had a negative effect on our fighting force. But making excuses or explaining away the phenomenon is denial, and it's not going to help the Pentagon and Congress solve the problem.

"It's not that we're using them more frequently or any differently," said Col. Carol Labadie, the pharmacy consultant for the Army surgeon general. "As with any medication, you have to look at weighing the risk versus the benefits of somebody going on a medication."

Experts say the problem isn't necessarily in the numbers. It's that you can't regulate the use of such medications in the military as easily as you can in the civilian world.

Follow-up appointments, for example, are few and far between - especially on the battlefield. And soldiers are often sent out into combat zones with six months' worth of medications, enough to trade with their buddies or grab a fistful of pills at the end of a particularly stressful day or mission. Soldiers who have been wounded can easily become addicted to painkillers they are given.

"The big difference is these are people who have access to loaded weapons, or have responsibility for protecting other individuals who are in harm's way," Grace Jackson, a former Navy staff psychiatrist who resigned her commission in 2002 in part out of concern that military shrinks were handing out too many medications, told the Times.

The problem has begun to show up in court, where, increasingly, lawyers for military members on meds have begun to argue - successfully - that the psychotropic drug made them do it.

James Culp, a former Army paratrooper who has since become a high-profile military defense lawyer, says he's recently defended an Army private accused of murder. His defense? The soldier's mental condition was exacerbated by the Zoloft he was prescribed.

"What do you do when 30-80 percent of the people that you have in the military have gone on three or more deployments, and they are mentally worn out? What do you do when they can't sleep? You make a calculated risk in prescribing these medications," Culp told the paper.

http://www.naturalnews.com/036001_soldiers_psychiatric_drugs_veterans.html#ixzz3dH9yS2H8

You might recall a number of heinous crimes committed on our military bases by a veteran; within months of their return from active duty!

Those humans are coming home 'drugged up' or suffering from severe withdrawal from physic drugs that our military geniuses did to them; families suffer - children - wives - the soldier and where's the VA?

What shocked me were the number of Really young Vets, less that 25 I met in the homeless compound here in Sacramento that could barely walk much less deal with living in the street being lumped in with criminals not even boots on the ground a year before they were discharged.

What I think is and has been a problem for a very long time is the active policy that a young person being inducted does not have to provide a comprehensive medical record that often documents if they already had standing mental health and other physical issues; in particularly PTSD related to abuse as a minor. Which I think may explain the disproportionate numbers in female Vets having crisis. If they had or developed fertility issues it was exacerbated by service so coming home and having the "normal" husband/family they might be grieving.

Another thing that seems to be something that is keeping some service member isolated is the age disparity issues in serving the needs of older versus young Vets needs in Veterans groups. I recently went to a Veterans pancake feed and did not see one Veteran under 50; did not make sense at all until I talked to younger Vets and their issues were social and employment first.

What I would like to some how work out is the issue of making all veterans feel welcome here. Weather they serve in the USA or Canada or any of our countries represented here. To me if you serve your country it should be something to take pride in.

I realize it may be harder for the service members to be recognized from all the countries but it bothers me a lot that I have almost suspended belief that a Veteran would say he is a Veteran because they have been so exploited by scammers and most of us feel threatened if a person suggests they are a Vet. I really don't know the solution to that one. I generally ask a few questions that most Vets can easily answer and "nail" the scammers but I have wondered if the legit guys don't get kind of tired of the "third degree".

This is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed. Here in Myrtle Beach we get a lot of military people on a furlough here and they say its the backdoor draft that just drains them,its a volunteer force so they have limited people , they get a little time off then right back to the action. Even the best soldiers are having a tough time adjusting.We need mental heath professionals to help these hero's out.

Yea it does seem like they should be able to fill more of the support positions that are being "contracted" to civilians rather than have them forced into back to back deployments with the up or out policy. I think that is why so many younger people are refusing to sign up. They might be willing to go in and serve one combat tour but repeated ones and then get shoved out while still recovering. Who is willing to sign on for that?

My sarcastic side is always impatient to reply:
'well if we women ruled the world - there'd be NO GOING TO WAR unless we had to funds/means to care for our military upon arrival home'...

But on the serious side --- we've done so much irreparable harm to our service men & women and not funding the VA so they would be READY for those returning thousands & thousands of wounded and walking mentally impaired --- ASININE and inexcusable IMHO

Just imagine what could have been done with all of this >>>



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/30/military-spending-waste_n_942723.html


WOULD'VE - SHOULD'VE - COULD'VE

I wish everybody who made some Chinese printer rich in selling all the Ribbons would have put this site on the ribbon. Maybe everyone can post it to spread the word. Sounds like a good program.

I don't know that you will get anywhere near an idea of how 99% of Americans feel about this statistic from an online dating forum thread.

More out of, possibly, morbid curiosity I wonder how much it "really has to do with:

these seem too simplistic.

It seems more obvious that it would be based on something more complex.
Like the general pacification and political correctness of everyday America.
Don't hit, don't be violent, don't harass, guns r bad, don't stalk, movies and video games cause school shootings which are the absolute horrors of human existence.

IOW all violence is bad, violence is never the answer, all the people who exhibit violence is bad, violent people are sick...so...here's some training how to be the best violent, harassing, gun toting, mass shooting, hard hitting, people you can be!
Okay, now we don't need you to be who we trained you to be...so just go ahead and stop that now.

Some studies in Japan (which suffers from a huge suicide problem) are finding feelings of alienation to be a significant influence causing such high levels of suicide.

Most countries that have a military see a significant rise in soldier suicides after combat.


Totally insensitive, but yes.
The number of foreigners coming in and joining the military.
The number of soldiers being retired due to reliance on technological advancements.
A bunch of things going on now are proving we can "spare" that many of "our" men.

That may be part of the problem.
Not being needed. Not having purpose.


Not without completely changing society in general, or creating a completely separate society or class in society full of government benefits solely for veterans not allowing them to become private, normal, everyday citizens again, in fact keeping them separate, guaranteeing them security and help in all things.

Thankfully, that's not my job. I'm just a random opinion guy on a dating forum.

I cringed as soon as I seen the word 'Prozac'. I had a negative experience while taking it. It can only do so much. Each individual should be carefully assessed, before a decision is made about whether to put them on an antidepressant. Prozac probably isn't the best option, to be honest. Especially since suicidal thoughts can be one of the side effects. It's double the suicide risk that they were, before they were put on Prozac/Fluoxetine/Olanzepine. Maybe the strict lifestyle of being in the military, adds to their problems. After all, the stricter the living situation, the less free time for friends, family, other relationships. I can only imagine how tough it must be, both physically and mentally.

Sad but too true! Did that matter greatly to the huge-military-war- machine-think-tank; not in the least...there were a couple of Physicians that quit their jobs with the DOD because of this way of treating our service humans like 'AUTO-BOTS' and drugging them up to keep them 'In-Line' and 'At Their Posts/Positions'!

The entire mindset of sending those National Guard Units back for more tours of duty was asinine and just totally corrupt
But once the 'Warm Body' was trained for that skill-set why the hell not just keep sending them back for more...collateral damage and expendable bodies---that's how the DOD treated our service humans!

Right there^^^ is one of the biggest things needed, communication...We need to find a way to bridge the gap between soldiers and civilians...Less than 1% of the population is military and when these men and women are on leave or released after serving their time or getting injured, instead of a hero's welcome they come home only to be plunged into a maze of bureaucracy and a feeling of isolation as they try to transition back into civilian life by finding gainful employment, qualifying for job training, obtaining financial aid for education, qualifying for disability benefits....Their needs should be met without delay or question and they should be evaluated for post traumatic stress disorder BEFORE release, not after...We need to learn how to communicate with our active and veteran soldiers, we need CULTURAL CHANGE and POLICY CHANGE..Every soldier and veteran is a hero who risked their life for us, when they come home it is the reverse, it is our 'duty' to serve and protect them.....

One small thing I'd commend to everyone...

Stop allowing your favorite rich pundits and politicians, to get away with chanting "Thank you for your Service to Our Country," and demand that they back that BS up with funding to ACTUALLY thank them for their service.

Both major parties have been playing games with the budget, and short changing the people they praise, in order to fund their own pet projects, or to play political tricks to fool everyone in to voting for them again.

That's like taking on a 'GOLIATH' if we actually knew a 'DAVID' defeated him!!!

Undoing the biggest monolith on our Federal Annual Budget is the DOD; they've never had an audit - they lost billions during the Iraq & Afghanistan aggressive actions - they have the biggest private sector lobbyist and power behind those warm bodies too - and a congressman/senator from several states hooked into making sure that the DOD is 'PRIMARY' sand packer for our tax dollars!

And for waste and over paying contractors---they have no equal; how would you suggest taking the DOD down and getting that revamped to where it makes financial sense?

I'm all ears?

We could bring them home and stay out of the Middle East

EXCELLENT IDEA; or we could learn from our A$$-swipe self-inflicted stupid mistakes from Viet Nam and now 11 yrs+ in Iraq & Afghanistan and never - NEVER - NEVER EVER go into another aggressive action with out the proper funding and a well & ready Veteran's Administration up and ready to go!

You are playing into the hands of the people I'm talking about. They set you and others against the people WHO THEY CONTROL AND DIRECT, in order to get you to ignore the fact that they directed the DOD to do what you complain about, for their profit.

Again, start by telling people who pretend to care so much about our people in uniform, to stop the chatty balderdash, and directly spend money ON THE PEOPLE IN UNIFORM THEMSELVES. Not the contractors, not the Weapons system developers, not the outside contractors (a favorite of the GOP of late).

Just that. Enough with the "David and Goliath" crap. Besides, according to legend, David kicked ***.

OK PLEASE lets focus on the original topic how we can address the needs of military members; not get drawn down into a big debate over what military actions were good ideas or not. THANK YOU!