Research paper for Senior Project 2012

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Kristin Sundvall
Mrs. Lester
Advanced Composition
11 October 2011
Veteran Suicide
It has been estimated that twenty percent of veterans suffer from psychological health
complications. Each year, approximately 1600 veterans commit suicide as a result of untreated
mental disorders (Bossarte et al). The military has had complications with veteran suicide since it
was established. This issue has had a huge impact on military life and the lives of those who
have lost beloved soldiers to suicide. Military researchers and psychologists have tried and failed
to reduce the rate at which veterans take their own lives. Without a doubt, veteran suicide is one
of the most significant problems in the military.
Veteran suicide is best defined as a current or former soldier ending her own life for any
number of reasons that can vary widely. One reason veteran suicide has such a high rate is
untreated mental illnesses. Studies show that one in five veterans has some form of a mental
disease. These psychological conditions include depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders (United States. Cong.). Sadly, only half of all veterans with
mental illnesses seek professional help. According to Rand researcher Terri Tanielian, unless
troops receive proper care, there will be long-term consequences for them and the nation
(Finding Dulcinea Staff). Another reason there is such a high rate of veteran suicide is that
veterans have very different experiences from civilians. Some experiences that are unique to
veterans include battle guilt and fatigue, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Traumatic Brain
Injuries. Veterans are the only ones who truly know the first-hand horrors or war, and these

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horrors can be extremely traumatic. One of the main unique factors that contributes to veteran
suicide is access to lethal means. Unlike civilians, soldiers are constantly around weapons and
chemicals that can be used to commit suicide (United States. Cong.). Another reason the rate of
veteran suicide is so high is because of weak social support structures (United States.
Department of Veterans Affairs). When soldiers are at war, they only have each other. Their
friends and family are not there to support them and guide them through their struggles. They
have to keep each other sound and look out for themselves without community support. When
they can not get help from loved ones, they may feel that suicide is the only way out. In
conclusion, veteran suicide is definitely a huge problem in the military. There are many factors
that can cause veteran suicide, and it has a huge impact on military life and the country.
Veteran suicide has a huge impact on America and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
First, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has to fund studies regarding suicide prevention
strategies. This funding drains the VA’s money. The Department does not have the money to
create more facilities to prevent veteran suicide. The VA’s response to suicidal veterans is slow
and its facilities are inadequate to treat veterans who need mental help. As a result, it is currently
being sued, taking away more of its funds (“More Excuses and Delays”). Another effect this
issue has on America is an attempt to change military culture. Military culture makes it hard for
soldiers to come forward with their mental health problems and seek help. The Secretary of
Defense, Robert Gates, has made it very clear that military culture needs to change. The military
has had the same static culture since it was established. Changing it would have to happen over
an extended period of time, and ultimately may not happen at all (Katz). Yet another effect
veteran suicide has had on the country is that it drains money from states. For example, the state
of Montana has implemented its own suicide prevention strategy in attempt to reduce the rate of

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suicide in veterans. Each Montana National Guard member who returns home from combat is
required to go through a mental health screening. The screenings are intended to detect mental
health problems and to direct veterans to the best treatment facilities. The state of Montana has to
pay for these screenings and the specialists who conduct them. If other states decide to follow
Montana’s example, they will surely run into the same financial issues (Katz). Undoubtedly, the
high rate of veteran suicide has had a huge effect on the country. Luckily, there are programs and
strategies in place to solve this issue.
Military researchers and psychologists have worked hard to develop strategies for
suicide prevention. One effective strategy is restricting access to lethal means such as certain
drugs like acetaminophen and, especially, firearms. A study was conducted in Washington, D.C.,
to determine whether or not firearm restrictions had any effect on the suicide rate. A new law
prohibited the possession of unregistered firearms and the possession of firearms by minors. The
firearms limit resulted in a significant decrease in the rate of suicide. The military has become
familiar with this study and has taken its own action to limit access to firearms by military
personnel. A soldier can not access firearms unless they are issued to her. Also, unissued
firearms are kept under close surveillance (United States. Department of Veterans Affairs). A
second strategy that has decreased veteran suicide rates is the veteran suicide hotline. The suicide
hotline consists of trained professional counselors who specialize in suicide prevention. Over one
third of the counselors are veterans themselves. The suicide hotline receives about 250 calls
every day from troubled veterans. It has reportedly terminated 1,200 suicides in progress every
year since it was established (Katz). Yet another veteran suicide prevention strategy that has
worked is inpatient residential therapy. A study of 3,733 veterans was conducted to determine
whether or not inpatient therapy worked better than outpatient therapy. The study showed that

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patients who received residential therapy had a lower chance of re-attempting suicide than those
who participated only in outpatient programs. When a patient is in a residential treatment center,
she is closely monitored and has access to psychological help at all times. All lethal means are
removed from the facility and she is given a strong support group (United States. Department of
Veterans Affairs). All in all, there are some wonderful suicide prevention programs available to
veterans that have saved many troubled troops. However, not all suicide prevention strategies
have been successful.
Although the Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented substantial prevention
programs, there are some programs that have failed. One strategy that failed was a 2008 attempt
to decrease the rate of suicide using advertisements on the buses and subways in Washington,
D.C. depicting actor Gary Sinise encouraging veterans to seek help for mental health disorders.
This method failed. Over half of veterans simply do not want to come forward with their mental
disorders (Katz). A second method that has failed is outpatient therapy. According to a study
from the Department of Veterans Affairs, outpatient care had little effect on the rate of veteran
suicide. The study also showed that outpatient therapy participants had a higher change of
attempting suicide a second time after their counseling program ended. When a soldier’s therapy
is limited to an outpatient program, she does not get to spend adequate time with therapists. She
will not be monitored as closely as she would in inpatient therapy (United States. Department of
Veterans Affairs). Yet another suicide prevention strategy that has failed is stress debriefings.
After combat or traumatic situations, soldiers receive stress debriefings in an attempt to eliminate
the threat of mental disorders. They are briefed on what to do if they think they might have some
kind of mental health defect and how to mentally prepare for future combat. This method is
ineffective because once a traumatic event has occurred, a simple debriefing is not enough to

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treat it. The soldier must receive professional psychiatric help before partaking in suicidal
behavior. Essentially, the traumatic events soldiers go through are stronger than the debriefings
they receive after combat (Katz). In conclusion, there are several suicide prevention programs
that are ineffective for soldiers, creating a grim outlook for this issue.
The future of veteran suicide rates looks bleak. One reason the future of this issue is so
grim is that the Department of Veterans Affairs does not provide adequate care for veterans. The
VA is currently undergoing a lawsuit by two non-profit organizations, Veterans United for Truth
and Veterans for Common Sense. These two groups accused the VA of “unchecked
incompetence and unconscionable delays in caring for veterans with mental health problems”
(“More Excuses and Delays”). The Department of Veterans Affairs does not adequately provide
suicide prevention officers of respond to suicidal veterans quickly enough to prevent suicide. The
court has agreed that systematic changes need to be made to the VA regarding its facilities and
the speed at which it responds (“More Excuses and Delays”). Another reason this issue has a
grim outlook is that the VA has not yet found an effective way to encourage more soldiers to
seek help for mental health disorders. Studies show that about twenty percent of American
veterans have mental health problems. However, only half of them have sought treatment (Katz).
Military culture can make it embarrassing for a soldier to get help. Soldiers are held to a high
standard and are expected to be paramount at everything they do. Showing emotion and
admitting mental health problems is contrary to what is expected of them (Finding Dulcinea
Staff). One more reason this issue’s future looks bleak is because there is still much to learn
about veteran suicide. Although the identification and care of veterans at risk for suicide remains
of utmost importance, there are only limited means of identifying emerging risk populations and
the changes in those populations. More studies need to be conducted to determine the best way to

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treat suicidal veterans. Also, the VA needs better means of identifying risk factors for suicide
and getting veterans the help they need (Bossarte et al). To conclude, there are many factors that
make the outlook for this issue very grim, and America will keep losing its beloved protectors
until the Department of Veterans Affairs can produce a solution that will significantly decrease
the rate of veteran suicide.
Overall, a career in the military is definitely not the best choice. There is a considerably
high rate of psychiatric disorders and suicide in the military. There are few actions veterans can
take to prevent a mental illness. Military experiences are extremely different from those in the
civilian world. Military personnel go through traumatic and stressful events every day. Trauma,
injuries, and guilt lead to psychiatric disorders in at least twenty percent of America’s veterans.
The treatment provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs is inadequate to help a veteran
who is mentally suffering. The VA does not respond quickly enough to the cries of suffering
veterans, so it is often too late to help them before they take their own lives. The grim outlook of
this issue is enough to discourage a person from choosing a career in the military. There is little
hope now that the rate of veteran suicide will ever decrease. Until the Department of Veterans
Affairs can find a way to decrease the rate of veteran suicide, military careers will continue to be
risky and uncertain choices.

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Works Cited
Bossarte, Robert, Cynthia Claassen, and Kerry Knox. “Evaluating Evidence of Risk for Suicide
Among Veterans.” Military Medicine 175.10 (2010): 703-704. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://proxygsu-
sche.galileo.usg.edu/?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=5
4353616&site=ehost-live>.
Finding Dulcinea Staff. “New Data Shows Alarming Rates of Military Mental Health Problems.”
Editorial. Finding Dulcinea. Dulcinea Media, Inc., 18 Apr. 2008. Web. 11 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.findingdulcinea.com///April-08/Data-Shows-Alarming-Rates-of-Military-
Mental-Health-Problems.html>.
Katz, Josh. “Suicide Hotline Hearing from Thousands of Troubled Vets.” Editorial. Finding
Dulcinea. Dulcinea Media, Inc., 28 July 2008. Web. 11 Sept. 2011.
<http://www.findingdulcinea.com////Hotline-Hearing-from-Thousands-of-Troubled-
Vets.html>.
- - -. “VA Looks to Ads to Help Suicidal Veterans.” Editorial. Finding Dulciena. Dulcinea
Media, Inc., 18 July 2008. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://www.findingdulcinea.com//
Americas//Looks-to-Ads-to-Help-Suicidal-Veterans.html>.
“More Excuses and Delays From the V.A.: It is battling a court order to fix its mental health
system.” The New York Times 22 Aug. 2011: A18. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 7 Sept. 2011. <http://ic.galegroup.com////
NewsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=News&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=O
VIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CA264898497&
mode=view&userGroupName=cant48040&jsid=f529d9b18b2eed7f3659cd9713cba020>.

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United States. Cong. House and Senate. Suicide Prevention Among Veterans. By Ramya
Sundararaman, Sidath Panangala, and Sarah Lister. N.p.: n.p., 2008. Federation of
American Scientists. Web. 12 Sept. 2011. <http://www.fas.org////.pdf>.
- - -. Department of Veterans Affairs. Strategies for Suicide Prevention in Veterans. By Paul
Shekelle, Steven Bagley, and Brett Munjas. Los Angeles: n.p., 2009. HSR&D. Web. 11
Sept. 2011. <http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov///Prevention-2009.pdf>.