Veteran Veterans

In the recent years, the number of mental health professionals providing for the military has dwindled, there is almost no combat-specific psychologists left, and the wait time to be treated for a mental health issue by the Department of Veterans Affairs has drastically increased. Examining MilitaryOneSource and the Department of Veterans Affairs, two of the most highly regarded military health providers, the lack of mental health services for veterans and active duty members has diminished and has resulted in a multitude of veterans going untreated or even ending their own life instead of receiving the help they

In Soldier from the War Returning, Thomas Childers writes that “a curious silence lingers over what for many was the last great battle of the war.” This final battle was the soldier’s return home. After World War II, veterans came back to the United States and struggled with stigmatized mental illnesses as well as financial and social issues.

The bill that was supposed to be passed to help soldiers get more benefits was denied by us government and shoot down by 41 senators. The reason for that is because the seniors could not agree on how money should be spent on veterans a year. The government spent 3 billion dollars and they are not even sure if the effects are even helping the soldiers with the treatment that they are given. Ptsd is not taken taken seriously enough to tho very high and rapid growth in suicide rates. Which to current estimates is taking at least on average 22 soldiers a day in total 8008 a year due to the fact they can 't get the help or think the help won’t help them at

Veteran’s all over the United States are retiring, getting less and less of the benefits that they used to. My brother was going to enlist and asked some people whether or not he should. They said they weren't going to tell him not to enlist, but they did say that it's not as beneficial as it was in the past. You don’t get as many benefits when you come back, as you used to. This isn’t something that should be happening. Why should you risk your life, but then be getting jipped out on the benefits that people in the past did?

Another issue that veterans struggle with when they come back from war is mental illnesses like PTSD. According to “bringing the war back home”, “Of 103 788 OEF/OIF veterans seen at VA health care facilities, 25 658 (25%) received mental health diagnosis(es)”. This disabilities can make getting into the workforce much more difficult and even leave veterans to live on the streets from lack of employment. The solution discovered from this research is that if these mental diseases are caught early enough, the veterans will receive the help they need and be able to continue their normal civilian lives. “Targeted early detection and intervention beginning in primary care settings are needed to prevent chronic mental illness and

“The murder American Sniper author Chris Kyle at a Texas gun range by a fellow vet said to be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has restarted a national conversation about PTSD and raised questions about whether the government is doing enough to identify and treat those suffering from the condition,” (Moran). American Sniper is evidence that those who suffer from PTSD are not treated properly and do indeed are capable not only harming others and or themselves while experiencing their “flashbacks” or symptoms. If those who experience trauma from the previous wars they had served in end up killing or being violent the government has not taken action enough and fixed the recurring issue in their veterans. Many people, including the media, were starting to take into account that the government had not identified those who needed treatment. “The issue with the government’s response to PTSD today is that, but simply, the problem is bigger than anyone imagined a few years ago and potentially as large as the number of PTSD cases for Vietnam vets. A study in 1993 found that more than 830,000 Vietnam veterans suffered from symptoms related to PTSD to one degree or another upon returning home,” (Moran). Soldiers who return home from war typically suffer from related symptoms. Most soldiers who are affected are not acted on quick enough. “From 2005 to 2011, military spending on

“Only 28.5 percent of Americans with identifiable mental illness seek services annually,” and of those 28.5% only 11% were receiving the necessary medication (Rosenheck). The veteran population is more likely to experience traumatic brain injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which are one of the most substantial risk factors for homelessness (Fact Sheet: Veteran Homelessness). Not only are many non-veterans not seeking medical treatment for their mental illnesses, but many veterans as well are also not seeking the same treatment. This is apparent since there are 50% of homeless veterans who have a serious mental illness, which is not including those who have a mental illness that is not as apparent or life altering. Likewise, there are also 51% of homeless veterans living with a variety of disabilities, and 70% of

“Homeless veterans deserve a place in the American dream” an article supporting veterans and the benefits they deserve. The article is written by Maria Cuomo Cole, a firm believer in veterans rights, which helped form my opinion and my essay. They gave us their lives and we can’t give them the assistance they need? Every day we hear about veterans who are losing everything and we just turn the other way. This problem won’t fix itself, and if we don’t do anything to about this problem it will never be fixed. On this issue, X and Y say veterans volunteered to serve and they got paid for what they did. Although I understand and to some degree sympathize with the point of view some Americans have, this is ultimately a question of loyalty. What’s at stake is not money but the lives of those who have already risked their lives. Therefore, we must take care of them , afterall they took care of us.

Majority combat soldiers often witness countless deaths; they suffer from severe injuries, and guilt for being unable to save the life of a traumatically wounded soldier. The trauma of our veterans deserves more medical and psychological treatment and resources to fund the treatment. There are numerous reasons a veteran with PTSD should be exempt from the death penalty. First, PTSD is not just a mental illness it is an injury. As such, an injury deserves to be properly treated and rehabilitated. Society and the legal system need to be more vigilant in our understanding of what triggers PTSD. Veterans that are unable to be restored back into society should be placed where they can live their lives comfortably with limited interaction within regular society. Veterans scarified and often paid with their lives to serve for their country and their country should display more appreciation. If U.S. legal system feels it’s too expensive to properly care for our veterans than we should stop instigating fights that lead to war. Secondly, we claim not to have money for veterans and veterans’ healthcare but billions of dollars are spent on funding wars, and the Republicans support millionaires instead of supporting the military veterans. For instance, the Bush Administration’s 2004 budget underfunded veterans’ healthcare by nearly two (2) billion dollars. It often seems that deceased veterans are better off than injured ones because they are less expensive. More military veterans have committed suicide because of the government lack of support and the Veteran Affairs carelessness and backlogged claims. Remember Daniel Somers, the Iraq War veteran who took his life in June 2013. Somers left behind a suicide note. In a part of Somers’s suicide note, he stated, “My body has become nothing but a cage, a source of pain and constant problems. The illness I have has caused me pain that not even the

Veteran Crisis Line. The Veteran Crisis Line is a hotline created for veterans and their friends and family members as an initiative in the prevention of suicides among the veteran population. The Veterans Crisis Line is staffed by suicide and crisis prevention counselors who take calls from veterans, friends of veterans, and concerned family members. This crisis line is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since its inception in 2007, the Veterans Crisis Line has taken more than 650,000 calls and claims to have saved more than 23,000 lives (McCarl, 2013).

For instance, injured war vets can develop PTSD. PTSD could potentially lead to increased stress or violence within a family and marital problems. According to U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (2015), the children of veterans suffering from PTSD “have more behavior problems than do those of Veterans without PTSD. Veterans with the most severe symptoms had families with the worst functioning,” (n.p.). In addition, child abuse has shown to increase in PTSD-affected families. Sufferers of PTSD often isolate themselves from other individuals. PTSD also increases suicidal risk by nearly six times. Furthermore, insomnia, eating disorders, and depression are increased in war vets. Injured war vets also have an increased risk of drug or alcohol abuse as a result of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. This can lead to weakened or lost relationships between a war vet and his/her

Participants had an average age of 45 and their service time and length varied. Confidential information about the veterans were shared to the researchers through case managers, which implies that these participants have been living with mental illness for quite some time.

“An estimated 8% of Americans − 24.4 million people − have PTSD at any given time. That is equal to the total population of Texas” (PTSD United 1). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has existed since the dawn of time, but only in the past 50 years has it been recognized as an actual problem. However, even now, it is still not always acknowledged as a legitimate condition. As a result, it is not always properly treated. People get PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event, such as war. Those who suffer from PTSD, especially those returning from the war, sometimes feel like they are alone in the world. Because of this, veterans have a higher rate of suicides, which makes it even more important that they receive the help they need. The treatment of those with PTSD is shown in A Separate Peace by John Knowles with the character Elwin “Leper” Lepellier. Some connections that can be found between A

Nearly 20 percent of 30,000 suicides are attributed to veterans each year (Cesar, Sabia & Tekin, 2012). This number represents a substantial number of military personnel suffering with mental health problems. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2011) PTSD impairs one’s ability to function in social or family life, which includes instability, marital problems, divorce, family conflict, and difficulty in parenting (p. 3). PTSD causes much impairment and has many contributing factors; for that reason, it is important to discuss the quality of services available to

Being in the military often puts a toll on the men and women who fight for our freedom mentally, resulting in PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs the only benefit guaranteed to veterans for PTSD is access to a Peer Support Group. Other organizations such as Real Warriors offer advice to seek out medical help through speaking with a VA approved medical doctor to confirm PTSD and then become eligible for