Prevent vets suicide

[Snow Bird]

There is a good story on MSN about a law to prevent vet's commiting suicide. Hope it gets passed and helps our vets.

Read it and think about it.

Edit, It's under editors picks

 

[Snow Bird]

Well I see they have moved into the dark abiss of the net. I will try to explain it. What it amounted to is someone is trying to get a law passed for the VA to give face to face interview to vets at least once a year for there mental health. I hate to say to much because I might get something wrong and a there is 1 on here that will disagree with me.

I think it would be put into the defence bill. It might help with those who are active service. I don't know how good it will work with discharged vets. There is always that stigma about going to a head DR. I know some will not tell the truth but the help will be there if they need it.

I don't know what there treatment is now but I do know they want you to call 911 if you are having mental problems and they ask you to do that any time you call.

This is a huge problem that some are trying to address. I have some work to do but I will try to find that link.

Sorry if some went on a wild goose chase to find it.

 

[The Pitt]

Doc already ask yearly about thoughts of suicide and other related questions on top of completing yearly computer based suicide prevention training and mass briefings. Just another thing to add to be a pain in my ass. I have no sympathy for those who commit suicide because it is drilled into your heads that there are places to go and people to see to get help. I have a friend that shot himself in the head and survived. Maybe Im just an asshole.

 

[donr101395]

I've lost a number of brothers to suicide and it always sucks, but you can't legislate suicide away. There is no way I'm going to the VA every year for them to give me a mental health check up.
I wish I had the answer to stop it, but I don't see a viable solution, there are people who seek to use seeking mental health treatment as a way to deny rights. As long as that is happening it will be impossible eliminate it. The best answer I have is be their for someone when they need you.

 

[Snow Bird]

You might be an ass hole. This is directed more to those not on active duty and to stop the computer question air. You sound like a disgrunteled gi that would be better off asking for a discharge. This was directed to Pitt.

 

[Snow Bird]

I wish I had to thought to get the link to the artical written down. I doubt you would have been to required to go to the face to face meetings it was just something you could do instead of doing the internet thing.

I realize that just because help is offered that it may not be taken and if a person truley wants to kill themselfs it will get done. I am no spring chicken but I have seen people helped by councelling that the GI seem to not be getting that need it.

 

[Django]

There has always been a stigma for mental health issues and to further deter people from getting help (military or otherwise), rights can be taken away. Anonimity is a way we sometimes handle mental health issues to protect people. On the other side of the coin and to further complicate things HIPA laws prevent others from knowing if there is an issue and is kept from those that could otherwise help and care for thier friends and loved ones. I would venture to say that the majority of homeless people have some sort of mental illness and have simply fell through the cracks.

Here's an example, you suspect someone you care about is having issues with memory and you fear that you are seeing early signs of Dementia or Alzheimer's. You encourage them to see a Dr. and get assessed. The results are protected from anyone besides the patient. If there is an indication of a problem and the individual does not share it with those that can help, they are left on there own and may very welll not seek help or maybe even unwilling or unable to acknowledge that they have a problem due to the repercussions of having a mental health issue.

I hope my post makes sense and is clear, as I am typing this from my phone. Catch 22. No easy answer or program cam fix this. Society, human rights and legislation make this issue seem insurmountable.

 

[HughJoergan]

Who sponsored the fucking thing, Feinstein? I mean all vets are fucking nuts anyway. Why not let a Doctor validate it yearly to ensure none can own firearms, etc. I mean a govt agency isnt subject to the political whims of the shitbag politicians. *cough* IRS *cough*

In case I wasn't clear. FUCK this bullshit!

Pardon me Francais

 

[Snow Bird]

Django, I know I just thought I would try to share the peace. The whole country is asking and some even crying to get our Vets help for there mental health problems. Then there is the fear of maybe reprecussions if they ask for help.

There is no doubt that some need help because so many are killing themselfs

Then you have people like on here that say hell no I don't want it.

So what do you do? No matter which side you are on there is someone else that thinks it wrong or intrusive and don't want any part of it

People say help the vets and protest about the care they are getting and then Congress cuts funding. Look at the budget fights that go on.

 

[Django]

Snow Bird, it's. good that you brought it up. Acknowleging a problem and discussing it is the only way to get to a solution. Disclaimer; I was raised by a Psych nurse so I tend to get caught up in these kind of discussions. Vets suicide rates are way above the norm and the numbers should not be overlooked. My God. I'm sure there are plenty of people here that have known someone that has committed suicide or know someone that has seriously comtemplated suicide. It goes without saying, it is a very delicate topic to discuss and deal with.

 

[donr101395]

There has always been a stigma for mental health issues and to further deter people from getting help (military or otherwise), rights can be taken away. Anonimity is a way we sometimes handle mental health issues to protect people. On the other side of the coin and to further complicate things HIPA laws prevent others from knowing if there is an issue and is kept from those that could otherwise help and care for thier friends and loved ones. I would venture to say that the majority of homeless people have some sort of mental illness and have simply fell through the cracks.

Here's an example, you suspect someone you care about is having issues with memory and you fear that you are seeing early signs of Dementia or Alzheimer's. You encourage them to see a Dr. and get assessed. The results are protected from anyone besides the patient. If there is an indication of a problem and the individual does not share it with those that can help, they are left on there own and may very welll not seek help or maybe even unwilling or unable to acknowledge that they have a problem due to the repercussions of having a mental health issue.

I hope my post makes sense and is clear, as I am typing this from my phone. Catch 22. No easy answer or program cam fix this. Society, human rights and legislation make this issue seem insurmountable.

Spot on, what needs to happen before it will get better is the stigma needs to be eliminated as well as the negative consequences need to be eliminated except in the rare instance where someone has to be involuntarily committed by a court order and actually poses a threat to others.



Snow Bird, it's a good topic to bring up because no one wants to talk about it, but I bet we all know a vet who has either done it, contemplated doing it, or is thinking about doing it but won't say anything.

 

[dirtysouth]

Who sponsored the fucking thing, Feinstein? I mean all vets are fucking nuts anyway. Why not let a Doctor validate it yearly to ensure none can own firearms, etc. I mean a govt agency isnt subject to the political whims of the shitbag politicians. *cough* IRS *cough*

In case I wasn't clear. FUCK this bullshit!

Pardon me Francais

Thumbs up

 

[Snow Bird]

From the posts on here I can see that helping vets is a divided topic.

 

[donr101395]

From the posts on here I can see that helping vets is a divided topic.

I don't think it's so much divided as much it is a collective frustration with the way things are versus how they should be.

 

[Snow Bird]

I just don't know how to take FUCK this bullshit. Does that mean give them no help?

 

[donr101395]

I just don't know how to take FUCK this bullshit. Does that mean give them no help?

Why would a sane person voluntarily put the fate of their life and legal status in the hands of a government bureaucracy by going for a psych eval annually when all that person has to do is decide they don't like your answers and your're being deceptive therefore need to be entered into the system as a prohibited person.

There are a lot of good docs both in and out of the VA system, but they also have their share of dirt bags who don't give a crap about a vet's rights as long as their paycheck keeps showing up. I'm not willing to put my freedom in the hands of a stranger who may or may not have my best interests in mind and may be pushing their personal agenda and beliefs.
Would something like this fly if it were put into law that all retired or former police need to get an annual psych eval? It could be argued that cops see more carnage on a daily basis than most GIs.

I think we all agree that the system needs fixed, but just based on money and available time alone giving a psych eval to every former GI every year is not doable even if they were all willing.


BTW: I could be wrong but I think "Fuck this bullshit" means I'm not letting the government dictate that I get a psych eval just because I once worked for the government because there is too much possibility of them screwing up and me ending up losing rights for doing my job. I don't think it means people shouldn't be helped.
More government is not the answer to any most questions.

 

[Snow Bird]

Ok now I understand the Fuck this bullshit. I am not sure the idea was to dictate that you had to have a psych eval as much as that you could see someone face to face.

I will for sure get a link to it next time instead of trying to explain it myself. This person was try to help vets. Of course it will never fly because of budget cuts,and from the thoughts of alot of vets themselfs if this discusion is any indication of the feeling of the rest of the vets out there. I do understand the fear of saying you might have a problem with some of your feelings.

 

[HughJoergan]

Donr, thanks for putting that more eloquently than I ever could.

I'm all for ensuring our vets get the care they require. Whats the average turnaround on a VA claim. One year?!?! That includes PTSD claims. So what are our vets to do in the meantime? Fix that first!

The crux of the problem is that our vets give everything of their very fiber to the military and our country. They get injured; be it by TA, TBI and yes PTSD. What does their military/country do for them. They sep them. *Poof* Everything they have ever believed in says "fuck off and go away", "youre someone else's problem now IE VA". Where's the support during this transition into the mindboggling bureaucracy that is the VA? Where's the support for them while they sit in sep wards to heal enough for the government to discard them into the void.

No one left behind! Shame that vets seem to be the only one's that believe it.

 

[Django]

I have heard that the suicide rate for vets is around 22/day. At least some attention is being given to this staggering figure and epidemic. Not to mention, the people that are affected by it is exponential.

 

[posthuman13]

Wow did I ever get the wrong idea by the subject title. I thought I was going to have to find a new vet for my kitties.