Suicide Rates by Veterans of War, Research Paper Example

According to recent data, suicide is in on the top ten causes of death in the United States. As the staggering number of suicides increases to over 36,000 a year, and more than a 100 each day. (O’Neil 1) When looking at the data for military veterans, the numbers are even more alarming, as the increasing number, is caused for a national concern. In the past decade the demographics for veterans that committed suicide was predominantly was white male and in the age range of 18 years to 25 years old. Many of the reasons found for their suicide was mostly related to job satisfaction, money problems, or relationship issues. However, since the military has been engaged in war after September 11^th, the demographics have changed. No longer is the demographic profile predominantly white, but now it involves several races, as well as age ranges that extend up to 44 years of age. The issues that have been found includes the stress of deployment, knowing when the time is up, the stress of leaving their families, the stress of possible dying, and other added stressors. As McCarl (2012) points out, “For these service members to survive the battlefield only to return home and commit suicide is a notion that reeks of depressing irony.” (McCarl 398) Suicides by Veterans have become a growing health concern, as many have come back from war, trying to adjust to civilian life. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the growing rates of suicide by war veterans. Examining the causes, and possible solutions that can be done to prevent these tragedies from happening.

According to Washington, “The number of veterans who commit suicide each day is more than 20 percent higher than the Department of Veterans Affairs has previously estimated…” (Freking 1) In 2009, a study found that the suicide rate amongst veterans was 20.2 per 100,000 soldier compared to civilians at 19.5 per 100,000. (Cogan 1) Cogan further points out that in 2008 while on deployment 30 percent of estimated solders committed suicide, while those that returned home, 35 percent committed suicide. (Cogan 1) 2008 had one of the highest rate of veterans that committed suicide, this prompted many officials to take a look at how military veterans are being treated once they return from war. Why officials have said they have been doing everything in their power to curb the amount of suicides, it seems to be not enough. The suicide rate presently has climbed to nearly 16 percent than the year before. (Kemp and Bossarte 15) Combat fatigue was coined in the United States to describe soldiers’ mental health issues once they had returned home from war in Vietnam.

After the events of 9/11 the rate of deployment for all military branches had increased tenfold, and caused many military personnel that didn’t have the same training and experience as previous wars to be placed in situations in which they were not prepared to deal with. However, now with many of the war veterans returning home, and those that have already returned home, they share the same experiences. These experiences includes expectation of betrayal, mistrust, depression, alienation, impatience at work or in school, restlessness, nightmares, insomnia, and the inability to concentrate. Despite the implementation of VA-sponsored programs, their suicide rates among veterans and military personnel has exceedingly increased since the beginning of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Researchers have pointed out, “The VA—in addition to a number of other relevant societal and governmental actors—has simply not done enough to prevent suicides among our veterans and military personnel.” (McCarl 394) Never since the Vietnam War, the previous longest war fought in American history did the rate of suicides cause such alarm. Nearly 600,000 military veterans from the Vietnam War committed suicide.

Looking at the previous wars and the suicide rate, studies have shown that Vietnam War produced the longest standing number of suicides among military personnel allegedly, however the factual number has been shown to be around 9,000 total of veterans. (McCarl 401). In going back to World War I and II, there is little data to show the impacts of war on veterans. The data that is available shows that the rate of suicide among veterans actually decreased for each war, particularly during World War II. (McCarl 400) However, even with the decrease in number, the data researched showed that the number of suicides still outnumbered civilians’ suicides by three times. (McCarl 400) For those surviving veterans that lived well within the 21^st century, their suicide rate in 2010, was two times greater than veterans that had recently returned back from war. The same data also pointed out that the older group of veterans were committing suicide at four times the rate that civilians were at the same age. (400)

Looking at the most recent war before Iraq and Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf War, has shown that the suicide rate among these veterans were 50 percent less than civilians, however three years after the war ended, their suicide rates were nearly identical to those veterans that did not serve in the Persian Gulf War. (403).According to data presented by McCarl (2012), the number of veterans that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have figured at least 4,700 that served in OEF/OIF conflicts, while the number of casualties have resulted in 6,653. (403) However, for the number of veterans that served in all conflicts in 2005 alone, the staggering number was at LEAST 6,256 that committed suicide (404).With the recent war in Iraq and Afghanistan the rates of suicides among veterans have alarmingly jumped higher than in any year. What is upsetting is that from the research, it shows the lack of emergency in the growing problem of returning veterans. With the amount of World War II veterans committing suicides at much larger rates than their younger generation, there still needs more examination on the reasons why, and more importantly how can this be stopped.

The  leading causes that can be linked to the increase rate of suicides among the younger generation, and the older generation, specifically those that served in World War II, is that the number of deployments in a short amount of time. The Persian Gulf War was relevantly short in cost and time, as there wasn’t the most likelihood that veterans would experience common mental disorders, so their rate of suicide is relatively low. Looking at the Afghanistan and Iraq war,  over 40 percent of active members in duty have been deployed two times as many, while about 12 percent have been deployed three times or more. (407) Even despite an information campaign utilized by the Military found that a record number of calls to the suicide hotline have been placed, with over 2000 suicide prevention interventions. (Cogan 1)  Some of the differences in wars that have led to the increase suicide rate also includes the significant stressors of repeated exposure to killings, whether from the enemies or from fellow comrades. Injury also has been found as a source of stress, as the constant threat of injury or death can take a physical as well as mental toll on a veteran. Additionally, many American soldiers have been ordered to conduct or take part in some dehumanizing practices against the civilian populations. It is found that nearly no one that had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan could escape the war unscathed.

Now than ever before, in the past five years, military that have seen a recent tour in Iraq or Afghanistan, and have experienced heavy fighting, lost friends, or seen the enemies killed have attempted to or have committed suicide. Military personnel are trained to work as well-oiled machine, rather than be an individual. The problem is that many military personnel are faced with situations that they cannot prepare for or know how to deal with. Many have served on multiple tours in a short amount of time, which takes not only a physical and emotional toll, but also psychologically. More staunchly is data has shown that the number of military veterans that have committed suicide have succeeded the number of military personnel that have died fighting in the Afghanistan War. One of the main causes of this alarming rate, as pointed out is stressors that impact the individuals’ mental health. According to research, “of the nearly two million soldiers returning home from OEF/OIF approximately 25% of soldiers utilizing medical benefits through the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) have a diagnosable mental health disorder.” (Kaiser 3) The Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have taken over in American History as the longest running wars. There is an approximate 2 million soldiers that have completed tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. Of those that have returned, among a quarter percentage of those veterans come back with a mental health disorder.

According to Kaiser (2012), some of the most common disorders includes drug use, problematic drinking, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. (Kaiser 2) Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or PSTD, is one of the more serious mental health disorders that dates back into some of the earliest returning veterans in American history. “Post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by a history of exposure to a traumaticevent and symptoms in two of the three clusters of symptoms categorized by intrusiverecollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms.” (Kaiser 3) More than a third of veterans have reported to suffer from PSTD. Those that suffer from the mental disorder have cited conflict with other family members, their jobs, and difficulty in their friendships, adjusting to civilian life, psychosocial stressors, and other emotional problems. Majority that suffer from PSTD also pick up co-occurring addictions in which they try to use drugs or alcohol as a means to self-medicate.

As a result of the great climb in suicide rates among armed force staff post-war. RAND led a study on why it is fundamental to build a more thorough mental wellbeing emotionally supportive network for managing danger components connected with the possibility to confer suicide. The study notes that hazard components, for example, PTSD, dejection, and TBI are imperceptible war wounds full of feeling temperament, musings, and conduct that “these injuries frequently go unrecognized and unacknowledged. Notwithstanding urging social insurance faculty to address an individual’s need connected with the previously stated mental wellbeing concerns. The study has discovered that there are crevices in the human services framework including expenses and nature of health awareness, stipulating that those holes need to be tended to. Investigation likewise decided a requirement for instructing military workforce and relatives about post-organization anxiety, referring to numerous deficiencies of existing assets accessible as of June 2007.  (Rice and Sher 3) Besides, there is a divergence in the investigation of suicide rates due, to a great extent partially, to the foreswearing of the military that there is a relationship between suicide rates and arrangement history. Additionally, the latest exploration study directed by armed force suicides neglected to report any measurements on veterans and non-dynamic obligation military faculty. Since significant information was either not dissected or not reported, the information can’t be viewed as sufficiently successful to create the best activity plan for all the more precisely tending to the issue of climbing military suicide rates inside the armed force.

Due to climbing suicide rates, armed force staff think that it important to create wellbeing and social administrations projects to address the issue inside gatherings, and on a one-on-one premise. Being mindful of their insufficiency in managing the issue of suicide inside the military, the armed force has turned to nonmilitary personnel restorative staff to actualize mediation programs. They are further subsidizing examination in regards to viable general wellbeing projects with comprise of, intercessions to decline the disgrace connected with accepting psychiatric consideration. Expand administrator inclusion in suicide anticipation, enhance ID and referral of administration parts at danger, simultaneously screen inclines in suicide endeavors and consummations. Coordinate group groups that can give support, and institutionalize conventions for treatment and handoffs of those at danger. (Suicide Rates in 2009). The other inconsistency in military suicide information is that medication and liquor misuse, disciplinary infractions, and lawful offense wrongdoings are expanding among military faculty too. This breakdown is ascribed to a bigger rate of transiency inside the military and the way that numerous military staff are taking opiate torment solutions, antidepressants, and other psychiatric medications to manage conditions. (Rice and Sher 4) All through their examination research has found that there is sufficient data accessible on PTSD and significant wretchedness in experimental writing, however that it is not made promptly available to restorative workforce. That said, their proposals are that care ought to be conveyed to all veterans experiencing post-war mental wellbeing concerns, not simply those displaying typically self-destructive inclinations.

Mainly, the state accepts that all offices, who work with armed force staff, need to reinforce the way their frameworks address the mental strength of military faculty to establishment more compelling consideration. One more conceivable method, for bringing down the danger, is to uncover individual indicating self-destructive side effects to standard screening. The report expresses that general screening of military staff for self-destructive manifestations can be sorted as a standout amongst essential approaches to keep a suicide, which happens among the dynamic obligation workforce. Screening procedure is an ideal approach, to testing the individuals who are not working satisfactorily yet, are attempting to conceal this deficiency from the outside world. The utilization of screening frequently serves as a vital component, which is utilized with a destination to cover self-destructive ideation and arrangement.

The issue of suicide in the armed force is complicated to the point that it frequently includes the utilization of an entire rundown of conceivably valuable methodologies towards the issue. The perfect arrangement of the issue would be guaranteeing change of the nature of associations with non-military associates. A part of correspondence is exceptionally compelling. Without any uncertainty, expanding correspondence with individual military staff and veterans will bring constructive experience to individuals and will serve as a satisfactory purpose of emergency intercession. Another intercession has the capacity relieve severely obstructed belongingness of individuals. The fundamental proposal is to execute Programs, for example, Battlemind Transition Training. The combination will be carried out in the way that will help a military man to keep up military connections without dismissing non-military relationship. Also, the mix will contribute to addressing an assortment of mental wellbeing results.

All in all, an armed force authority is dealing with the signs and indications, holes in strategies, and the consciousness of the suicide rates after veterans come back from the war. By meeting expectations with human services staff and administrative organizations to upgrade the mental wellbeing administrations accessible to parts of the military while on obligation and once they get to be non-dynamic military. Moreover, staff are getting to be knowledgeable about what writing is accessible in regards to non-physical war wounds and scattering that data to military workforce, their families, and therapeutic faculty. Also, the paper has highlighted confirmation, which shows that their needs to be identifying programs to become an important system for understanding, inquiring about, evaluating, and treating self-destructive conduct among the military men. The fundamental motivation behind why military experience may increment self-destructive behavior is to give careful consideration to outline of frightful and provocative circumstances. A considerable lot of these conditions come as an immediate consequence of the battle, what drives an individual to increment procured ability and improve one’s capacity to exact deadly harm toward oneself. The paper demonstrated the rate of suicide is the result of several factors. The vicinity of all these segments prompts singular’s high suicide hazard. All in all, suicide is an extremely mind boggling marvel, which obliges military faculty a considerable measure of learning and exploration. Future studies are proposed to investigate the alarming rate, as well as solutions to absolve the problem.

Works Cited

Army. “Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Report.” Army. 28 July 2010. Web. 21 Jan 2015. http://www.army.mil/article/42934/army-health-promotion-risk-re

Cogan, James. “US military suicide rate at record high.” World Socialist Web Site. 4 Feb 2009. Web. 21 Jan 2015. http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2009/02/suic-f04.html

Freking, Kevin. “Veteran Suicide Rate At 22 Each Day, Department Of Veterans Affairs Report Finds.” Huffington Post. 9 Sep. 2013 Web. 21 Jan 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/veteran-suicide-rate_n_2599019.html

Kaiser, Dakota. “Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder inVeterans of Operation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom: A Review of theLiterature.”  Graduate Journal of Counseling Psychology. 24 June 2012. Print.

Kemp, Janet, Bossarte, Robert. “Suicide Date Report, 2012.” Department of Veterans Affairs. 2012. Print.

McCarl, Lindsay. “To Have No Yesterday The Rise of Suicide Rates in The Military and among Veterans.” Creighton Law Review.VOl. 46. Print. 2012.

O’Neil, Maya Elin. “Suicide Prevention Interventions and Referral/Follow-Up Services: A Systematic Review. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development Service. March 2012. Print.

Rice, Timothy, Sher, Leo. “Suicidal Behavior in War Veterans.” Expert Rev. Neurother. 12(5), 611–624. Print. 2012.

Ricks, Thomas. “Army commanders need to pay better attention to soldiers to prevent suicide.” Foreign Policy. 30 July 2010. Web. 21 January 2015. http://foreignpolicy.com/2010/07/30/army-commanders-need-to-pay-better-attention-to-soldiers-to-prevent-suicide/