Over the past decade, thousands of soldiers have tragically died from combat. Less acknowledged, however, is the multitude of soldiers who have died by their own hand. These men and women died for their country, too, and their deaths were equally tragic. Although they may not have lost their lives in a war zone, their deaths were inarguably direct results of their participation in the war. When they bravely agreed to risk life and limb for their country, many of them may not have realized that they were threatening something else as well: their mental health. Many soldiers return home with traumatic brain injuries and mental illnesses such as PTSD, depression and anxiety, and yet many do not seek treatment. Soldier suicide rates are on the rise and something needs to be done to try to change the trend.
When I first started doing research for this article, I expected that the government would be to blame for a lack of veteran’s care. Admittedly, I was disappointed to find that in September, 40 of the 47 Republican senators voted against a bill that would have increased funding for veterans services by $1 billion. It’s true that most of them cited maintaining procedural standards as the reason for their dissent, but is that a legitimate claim? People “play politics” all the time, attempting to pass legislation by way of loopholes and exceptions. That doesn’t make the legislation inherently bad or unsupportable. Why are we so agreeable to creating veterans by way of extremely costly wars, but then completely unwilling to shell out a relatively small amount of money to help fund services for their care and recovery? That is a problem.
Overall, the government does seem to be making a focused effort to address key veterans issues — not only mental illness, but also unemployment and homelessness — through means such as President Obama’s executive order titled “Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families.” In brief, this directive mandates the hiring of almost 2,000 new mental health professionals, as well as requiring that any veteran who identifies himself as “in crisis” be able to access help within 24 hours. This does not completely solve the problem, especially considering that not all PTSD is treatable by therapy — many cases are manifestations of physical injury. But it is certainly a step in the right direction.
If you ask me, the bigger problem we need to address is the social stigma that is attached to mental illness. Even if the government is increasing access to resources such as telephone help lines and counseling, does it matter as long as seeking treatment is viewed as a sign of weakness? Numerous studies affirm that one-third to one-half of soldiers who suffer from some form of mental illness will not seek treatment. The New York Times article “Suicides Eclipse War Deaths for Troops” noted, “The suicide rate among the nation’s active-duty military personnel has spiked this year, eclipsing the number of troops dying in battle and on pace to set a record annual high.” In the first 155 days of 2012, the Department of Defense reported 154 active-duty suicides. This should not be happening, but there are many barriers to preventing it.
As I’ve already mentioned, the social stigma attached to metal illness is a problem. Each of us needs to take personal responsibility and be willing to listen and learn when it comes to issues such as PTSD. Although these topics may be upsetting to talk about, we need to consider the feelings of those people who are perpetually suffering. We need to stop being so dismissive of, uncomfortable with, and condescending toward the idea of mental illness. This war does not have public support, and because of that, returning soldiers are not receiving the attention, fanfare or support that they would have in the past. The cause they are fighting for may be unpopular, but the sacrifice that the soldiers are making is the same, and they deserve the traditional amount of respect.
Eliminating the stigma is not simply a matter of changing our individual attitudes, though. Soldiers also need to feel safe seeking treatment. “If [the diagnosed soldiers] are going to be separated, or if some bad thing’s going to happen to their career, that’s obviously going to raise stigma on an organizational level,” said Colonel John Forbes, director of psychological health for the U.S. Air Force. Twenty-five percent of Air Force soldiers who are diagnosed with PTSD will not retain employment. Another obstacle to overcome is lack of interest in the field of mental illness treatment. The New York Times article previously mentioned paraphrased Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, as “[attributing] the rise in military suicides to too few qualified mental health professionals.” We need more people to realize the vital importance of this work, and to be willing to do it.
As a country that is very proud and defensive of its own patriotism, I think the most patriotic thing we could do is work to eradicate the misconceptions surrounding mental illness and suicide, vocalize to our elected officials that this issue is important to us, and ensure that our returning soldiers receive the care that they desperately need.
Ashley Spinks’s column appears Mondays on The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at a.spinks@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
KURTZWEIL: True financial aid must be transparent
By Paul Kurtzweil | 3 days agoThe implications and revelations of the lawsuit should inspire greater transparency at the University in order to ensure that financial aid is properly and equitably distributed.
SULLIVAN: Ramp up physical accessibility on Grounds
By Scarlett Sullivan | 5 days agoThe University must take responsibility for the inaccessibility of Grounds and work to promote accessibility for all students despite misguided laws.
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | April 25, 2024Instead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
