Vets' Suicide Rate "Stunning"

Armen Keteyian: Analysis Reveals What Some Are Calling "Hidden Epidemic"

(CBS)  Some of America's 25 million veterans face their biggest fight when they return home from the battlefield -- when they take on mental illness.

And, a CBS News analysis reveals they lose that battle, and take their own lives, at a clip described by various experts as "stunning" and "alarming," according to Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian. One called it a "hidden epidemic."

He says no one had ever counted just how many suicides there are nationwide among those who had served in the military -- until now.

The five-month CBS News probe, based upon a detailed analysis of data obtained from death records from 2004 and 2005, found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 as non-vets.

A recent Veteran Affairs Department estimate says some 5,000 ex-servicemen and women will commit suicide this year, largely as a result of mental health issues, and Keteyian says, "Our numbers are much higher than that, overall."

He says the numbers in the CBS News study shocked everyone from Sen. Patty Murray (D, Wash.) to veterans' rights advocate Paul Sullivan.

Murray told Keteyian, "That's a lot of young men and women who've gone to fight for us, and come home and found themselves that lost."

Said Sullivan, "This is pulling the fire alarm to say our veterans need help now."

Staff Sgt. Justin Reyes spent a violent year serving in Iraq.

"The war didn't end foe him when he came home," says his mother, Jean Willis. "I think he was being tormented and tortured by his experiences."

Medical records show Reyes suffered severe psychological trauma after witnessing "multiple dead" and having to "sort through badly mutilated bodies," Keteyian reports. Earlier this year, a month after separating from the Army, Reyes hanged himself with a cord in his apartment. He was 26.

Willis and members of four other families recently sat down together to talk to Keteyian about losing loved ones, all veterans of Iraq, to suicide.

"Was their any sense that they were having problems at all?" Keteyian asked.

"I said, 'What's the matter, Tim?' " Kim Bowman replied. "I said, 'Don't you want to come home?' And he said, 'I'm not sure.' He said, 'Everything's changed.' "

Crying, Bowman added, "He said, 'I'm not the same person anymore."

Mia Sagahon's boyfriend, Walter, shot himself at 27, about a year-and-a-half after coming back from Iraq.

A weeping Sagahon remarked, "I just didn't realize -- that it could... I didn't think he was thinking about killing himself. Otherwise, I would have taken him wherever he needed to go."

Joyce Lucey observed, "I think that's what families are left with -- the guilt about what could have been done, and what we should have done."

"Guilt and anger," Mike Bowman said.

[neenga]

"Deciders" who have never served in the military will always think they''re playing game board war games. They forget that these are human beings we''re losing, if not on the battlefield, than back at home when they can''t get help. War, truly, is hell.

[lmillet-2009]

These data are from state vital records departments. The deaths among veterans are only captured if the person signing the death certificate knows that the individual was a veteran. So - some of the suicide deaths among veterans are missed. CBS had to collect these data state by state as there is no national dataset that captures veteran status. Seventeen states have violent death reporting systems but among the other states there is no way to review the circumstances around these deaths. It is sad to note that we may soon see more deaths due to suicide related to current or recent service than deaths due to casualty in war. The data suggest that depression and suicidality should be assessed systematically after discharge at periodic intervals - possibly throughout a veterans lifespan. Families need to know this and can do much to support help seeking behaviors. These experiences are not weakness or shameful - silence about these experiences must be broken. Thank you CBS.

[rjpit]

As a survivor of suicide myself, guilt and anger are huge. The mental and emotional health of the many family members of each survivors this type of loss leaves behind needs to be addressed as well. I''m glad people are finally realizing the true epidemic Suicide/depression is. If you have lost a loved one to suicide and feel like you might like support. Find a local suicide survivor support group by you. http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=FEE4D90C-A27B-456E-36DDF23261B4378D

[rjpit]

As a survivor of suicide myself, guilt and anger are huge. The mental and emotional health of the many family members of each survivors this type of loss leaves behind needs to be addressed as well. I''m glad people are finally realizing the true epidemic Suicide/depression is. If you have lost a loved one to suicide and feel like you might like support. Find a local suicide survivor support group by you. http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=FEE4D90C-A27B-456E-36DDF23261B4378D

[rjpit]

As a survivor of suicide myself, guilt and anger are huge. The mental and emotional health of the many family members of each survivors this type of loss leaves behind needs to be addressed as well. I''m glad people are finally realizing the true epidemic Suicide/depression is. If you have lost a loved one to suicide and feel like you might like support. Find a local suicide survivor support group by you at the org of asfp.

[rjpit]

As a survivor of suicide myself, guilt and anger are difficult emotions for those left behind. The mental and emotional health of the many family members of each survivors this type of loss needs to be addressed as well. I''m glad people are finally realizing the true epidemic Suicide/depression is. If you have lost a loved one to suicide and feel like you might like support. Find a local suicide survivor support group by you at the asfp organization with that address.

[yellowrose91]

I lost my Son same thing,he was only home 1 year and 2 month''s and shot his self. My Son was only 21 years old Thomas Beckett Hensley III went into the ARMY as a MP and was over there the day of 9/11. He saw and went though to much and they the (ARMY) never helped him his 1ST. Sergeantdied in his arms. They just send him back to work.

[lindadhigh]

I was so proud of my son, Kevin Jack Rumore when he told me of his decision to join the Air Force, just as my father had. "It will be a way for me to go to college" he claimed. When he returned he suffered from physical and mental pain. We pleaded with the V.A. to help but always to get blown off and ignored. Many of the Dr.s treated him as if he was in prison and not the American Veteran he was so proud to be. My son hung himself on July 10th 2007, 10 days before he would have turned 27. My prayer is that something will be done soon about the treatment of our soldiers before another Mother goes through the heart break of having to bury her child due to suicide. You never get over the guilt and overwhelming grief.
Linda High

[grammawhamma]

My husband was a vietnam vet who suffered from PTSD until his death. Now my son in law is in Iraq. He was recently home for his two week R&R after only being in Iraq for two months. He told me that he knows that he will need counseling when he gets home. I am sad to know that two months in Iraq have already taken it''s toll on him but also glad that he admits that it has and he will try to seek help. God bless all of our troops and their families.

[ramos937]

I saw the broadcast. One of the people was asked why the govt would not study the problem. He responded, "they do not want to deal with it".

My thought is that these wonderful young people have to do things in Iraq that they never imagined a sane person doing but they have to do it to stay alive. This is a war where you simply do not know who the enemy is. The Iraq soldier we train, pay and support is very likely the same guy who will turn around and shoot you once your back is turned. His motivation is that we are the invaders and he wants us out or perhaps we harmed his family when we bombed an AQI (collateral damage). I really do not think anyone knows what victory means anymore.

[lemming51]

Is the CBS "study" normalized for age/***? Regardless of military service, males aged 20-40 have suicide rates over 2x that of the total population.

[adindb]

I''m a vet (not of Iraq/Afghanistan), and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after the VA foreclosing on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty). Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[adindb]

I''m a vet (not of Iraq/Afghanistan), and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after the VA foreclosing on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty). Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[adindb]

I''m a vet (not of Iraq/Afghanistan), and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after the VA foreclosing on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty). Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[adindb]

I''m a vet and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after a year of waiting while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).

Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) vets in need.

Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[adindb]

I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).

Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.

Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[adindb]

I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).

Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.

Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[adindb]

I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of twists, turns, conflicting information, conflicting departments that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after waiting over a year while the VA foreclosed on my house (in spite of being active duty and the AF figuring out how to pay me while I was being medically discharged as a reservist called to active duty).

Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of veterans in need.

Without an advocate I *would* be dead, probably by suicide.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[mbookmeyer]

When is humanity going to realize that killing another human goes against what they KNOW is right. It is becoming harder to pretend that war helps anyone but the rich, after all we see it is the poor that die. Who will save you from your own knowing?

When a child lies for the first time their hands instinctively reach for their mouth as if to hold it in.. but with time you can overcome this natural reaction. Numbing ourselves is the surest way to make sure this is a human free planet, because we will surely destroy ourselves if that is how we continue to act.

[adindb]

I''m a vet, and I can say that the treatment of vets by the VA and federal government is abysmal. The VA help system is so full of conflicting information, conflicting departments and conflicting regulations that I''m surprised that the number of vets on the streets and/or dead isn''t even *higher*.

I just received my disability rating of 170%, after a year of watching the VA foreclose on my house and living off of help from my and my wife''s family (the AF wasn''t paying me while it tried to figure out how to pay me as an IMA reservist on active duty in the process of being medically retired).

Even though I''m housebound, I don''t know that I''m going to receive any aid from the VA itself since disability is subtracted from retirement (if you have less than 20 years active service), and the "combined rating reduction system" will probably push my "payable" disability rating below the 160% required to receive additional assistance via the "special military compensation" tables.

This just illustrates the byzantine system that has been set up to provide the illusion that vets are being cared for -- while in reality much effort is expended to keep from having to actually take care of (i.e. *pay* or provide assistance) veterans in need.

The story here is not just that vets with mental health issues aren''t getting taken care of; it''s that vets are being stigmatized and actively *driven* to acts of desperation even if they were previously mentally healthy.

[glsurratt]

In 2005, Congress directed the VA IG to investigate why there was such a disparity between the benefits determination by the different states.
The results of that survey were that most of the disparity was due to mental health issues and the inability to quantify them.
I wonder how many of these suicides can be attributed to cuts in benefits to bring the states back to parity with each other.

[iamdrmopar]

I recently attended a memorial service in Colorado Springs for a veteran of OEF who had returned almost two years ago. He shot himself with a 9mm pistol while wearing his Army Combat Uniform. He was in the USAR and about to be deployed back to Afghanistan this Fall.