6256 US Veterans committed suicide in 2005 - CBS investigation

[Moose]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...005961,00.html


THE US military is experiencing a "suicide epidemic" with veterans killing themselves at the rate of 120 a week, according to an investigation by US television network CBS.
At least 6256 US veterans committed suicide in 2005 - an average of 17 a day - the network reported, with veterans overall more than twice as likely to take their own lives as the rest of the general population.





I find this study to be shocking to say the least. There is obviously a serious issue with mental health problems developing through the military, and it would be interesting to see how these numbers would compare to service men and women from other nations around the globe.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Find another demographic as large as that of US Military veterans and check out the numbers for their suicide rate. I'm guessing it's pretty close.

[Moose]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Find another demographic as large as that of US Military veterans and check out the numbers for their suicide rate. I'm guessing it's pretty close.

The study compares the suicide rate with the general population of the US with statistics in the range of 1995-2005. In comparing the suicide rates:

That figure rose to 22.9 to 31.9 suicides per 100,000 among veterans aged 20 to 24 - almost four times the non-veteran average for the age group.

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by Moose

The study compares the suicide rate with the general population of the US with statistics in the range of 1995-2005. In comparing the suicide rates:

That figure rose to 22.9 to 31.9 suicides per 100,000 among veterans aged 20 to 24 - almost four times the non-veteran average for the age group.

That number (4x) is much less concerning than the raw data. Still not good, but I don't think it would come as a shock to most people that suicide rates among veterans would outpace the national average. 120 a week though... That's quite a clip.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by fotze

Postal Workers?

No. going postal means you are shooting people other then yourself.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by fotze

Postal Workers?

Air Traffic Controllers?

[Bertuzzied]

I think quite alot of dentists commit suicide.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Find another demographic as large as that of US Military veterans and check out the numbers for their suicide rate. I'm guessing it's pretty close.

I'm sure the finincial sectors are probably seeing an influx of suicides lately

[Table 5]

What do people expect? When you come back from seeing people suffer and die in pretty awful ways (sometimes at your own hand), does one really expect everything to be as pure as kittens and sunshine? War screws people up. You can't compare it to "another large demographic".

It's unfortunately just another side-effect that politicians don't consider when sending young boys off to war for their own selfish needs.

[SarichFan]

Originally Posted by Table 5

It's unfortunately just another side-effect that politicians don't consider when sending young boys off to war for their own selfish needs.

Nail on the head... I'm 24 and I feel awful for the 18 year olds being shipped to Iraq like Cattle for the slaughter more or less.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Table 5

What do people expect? When you come back from seeing people suffer and die in pretty awful ways (sometimes at your own hand), does one really expect everything to be as pure as kittens and sunshine? War screws people up. You can't compare it to "another large demographic".

It's unfortunately just another side-effect that politicians don't consider when sending young boys off to war for their own selfish needs.

And in addition to the things that you experience when you are over there, you come back and a lot of people are treating you like a hero and a lot of people are saying that the war that you were fighting was a huge mistake. How are you supposed to go see about help in that sort of polarized environment? I'm sure that there are councelling programs for veterans and I imagine that those programs have prevented a large number of suicides, but there are probably a lot more that feel that they aren't supposed to be talking about the issues that they're going through on a personal level.

[Dion]

The predominant storyline of war in our time has not been one of volunteers struggling and triumphing over adversity. It has been about victimhood, quagmires and failure. Whether the facts fit the description or not.

If you have been to war, then you know that you are undeniably changed and damaged by it. Images, obsessions and adrenaline rushes at odd times become a part of one’s life, along with barely controllable upwellings of emotion, shortness of temper, a tendency to speak one’s mind in ways that may be disturbing to others. For some people, it fades with time, for others it doesn’t.

As one friend who had seen heavy combat and struggled with it said, “We are the detritus of war.” Men walking around with wounds others can’t see. It’s not always so extreme, even for veterans of heavy combat. As another friend said, “There was life before, and life after. Not good, not bad, just different.”

Our war dead are called a waste by those who would lead us. Our returning soldiers are viewed as damaged goods, their accomplishments ignored. The holidays we dedicate to them have long been excuses for trips to the beach and the mall, ignored by the vast majority of our population. The dire threats to world peace our soldiers have combated, from communists to Muslim terrorists and would-be nuclear despots, are fabricated excuses to seize oil supplies, drive up corporate profits and undermine constitutional freedoms. War, even when it might be justified, produces unacceptable tragedy and debases us. Patriotic display is disconcerting. Our children are not encouraged to develop the strength and courage of warriors, are discouraged from playing at war, and efforts are made to keep recruiters away from them.

http://pajamasmedia.com/2007/11/gi_suicides.php

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by fotze

Postal Workers?

Disgruntled people are murderers, not suiciders!

[Montana Moe]

Originally Posted by SarichFan

Nail on the head... I'm 24 and I feel awful for the 18 year olds being shipped to Iraq like Cattle for the slaughter more or less.

Don't feel awful for them, they're volunteers.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Montana Moe

Don't feel awful for them, they're volunteers.

What a completely heartless think to say. Just because somebody volunteers to go into the army, we're not supposed to feel compassion for them? Go tell that to your grampa and relatives who volunteered for WW2.

[Montana Moe]

Originally Posted by Table 5

What a completely heartless think to say. Just because somebody volunteers to go into the army, we're not supposed to feel compassion for them? Go tell that to your grampa and relatives who volunteered for WW2.

That was not my intention, your post sounded to me like these you felt these kids don't have a choice.

I have the utmost respect for people who volunteer for military service, I'm one of them. I have even more respect when they volunteer knowing they will more than likely be seeing combat.

I just get the feeling that people think folks volunteering are sheep being led to slaughter. If they signed up within the last four years, they probably had a pretty good idea what they would be doing.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Montana Moe

That was not my intention, your post sounded to me like these you felt these kids don't have a choice.

I have the utmost respect for people who volunteer for military service, I'm one of them. I have even more respect when they volunteer knowing they will more than likely be seeing combat.

I just get the feeling that people think folks volunteering are sheep being led to slaughter. If they signed up within the last four years, they probably had a pretty good idea what they would be doing.

Ok, well Im glad to hear that. Obviously going into the army these days is a choice, and there are inherent risks involved. Having said that, utmost care and respect must still be taken to ensure these kid's aren't dying in vain, and are taken care of as best as possible after they do come back. The recent events at Walter Reed shows that clearly isn't happening down here....not sure what it's like up in Canada.

[mykalberta]

Why would this be shocking. Have people not in the military had to kill people or been shot or seen people they consider friends die right in front of them.

For me 2* seems low compared to what they do vis a vi the rest of the population.