Suicide is becoming a severe problem in the United States and other countries in the world. About 13.5 % of the population develop suicide ideation in the United States. Statistics also suggest that 3.6% of the same population make suicide plans, including time and place of the event, but only 4.7% take the step of commuting suicide ( Singley, Olson, Adams &Callender Highlander, 2019). Among the most vulnerable groups are the veterans. According to Greer et al. (2020), about 17% of the veterans develop suicidal ideation. The male veterans top the list, with more than 10% of them planning for suicide each year. The focus is now on means of eliminating different mental issues such as PTSD and depression that play a significant role in suicide among veterans. The discussion focuses on suicide among the veterans and the mitigation that is ongoing to reduce its prevalence.
The Main Issue
The problem is that the rate at which the veterans commit suicide is rising in the country. In the year 2016, about 30.1 per 100,000. In the year 2017, the price was 27.7 per 100,000, and the data later rose to 34.2 per 100,000. The implication is that despite the different program that targets the curing the mental problem that arises among the veterans, the number is fueling every year. Statistics indicate that there is a need to find a solution to reduce the rate of suicide among these people. The fact that most of the veterans develop suicide ideation is critical to the country and the society at large(Liu, 2013). It poses a threat to the family, the community, and the nation. Suicide among the veteran is a significant social issue because these people have families that worry about them. With suicide, ideation comes a change in behaviors that families must deal with, and this also builds stress and depression among such families. A loss of a loved one is a stressful situation for the family, both financially and emotionally (Liu, 2013). The stress that comes when soldiers take lives is a problem for the family financially, socially, and emotionally.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Moreover, these people are the frontline of the country, and this means that they need to be healthy top to protect the country and the community. A high rate of suicide among them means that the mitigation strategies that are in place to prevent suicide ideation are not succeeding(Liu, 2013). Therefore, the worry is that more of these people may die through suicide before the country come up with a proper way to end such tragic deaths among them. The current literature is particular in different aspects of suicide among veterans. Most of the pieces of literature examine post-traumatic stress disorder and how it is contributing to the high rate of suicide among the soldiers. The findings reveal that PTSD is one of the factors that result in suicide among soldiers(Blosnich et al., 2020). Others also point at the imperfect system of the tacking depression and PTSD among soldiers in the country. In such pieces of literature, critics focus on the lack of proper healthcare channels and programs that targets soldiers from different combat missions before they are allowed into society(Singley, Olson, Adams &Callender Highlander, 2019). In some pieces of literature, the focus is on prevention measures to reduce the rate of suicide among veterans. In such pieces of literature, operation S.A.V. E that is currently part of the programs, targeting mental health among soldiers forms part of the discussion.
Other pieces of research analyze the importance of education about the potential mental health problem that soldiers should undergo both after and before attending any military mission. The finding point to the fact that most soldiers have the perception that they should be enduring such challenges. Therefore, some of them do not open up on such mental challenges, and this results in them taking their life. The focus, therefore, is that educating soldiers on the importance of reporting psychological problems could be to reduce the rate of suicide among them. There are different perspectives to analyze the matter, and they include social, health-wise, mental, and also system perspectives. Socially, suicide among soldiers is related to social victimization among families in society (Liu, 2013). Financially, the question relates to the financial burden that the families face after losing the breadwinner. Psychologically, suicide among soldiers relates to metal challenges these people undergo, which could be leading to a rise in suicide among them.
The Current Mitigation Strategies
Currently, the government is taking the responsibility to ensure that the soldiers undergo training programs that aim to sensitize them on matters of suicide and PTSD after military missions. The U.S. military department is taking a responsibility to train medical staff and deploy them to run programs targeting soldiers after an army mission allows them to join the society after screening for mental health issues and depression (Liu, 2013). Also, numerous military healthcare organizations focus on soldiers both nationally and locally to ensure that they get health to reduce the effect of suicide among them. The focus is on programs such as SAVE prevention measures (Blosnich et al., 2020). The program looks to identify the signs of suicidal thinking among the soldiers and Ask questions to validate the person's experience. After determining the conditions under which the person is, they then encourage treatment and Expedite, getting help for such military individuals.
One of the programs that are currently taking tremendous steps toward reducing the rate of suicide is the idea of screening soldiers after every military mission. The government, through the military department, relies on the different army hospitals to ensure that soldiers undergo screening for PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The programs are ensuring that each soldier undergoes testing and those that show any signs of mental issues get treatment before they join their families. The success of such programs is the reason behind the great attention they get in healthcare. According to Singley, Olson, Adams & Callender Highlander (2019), more than three half of the total military personal that comes from military missions test positive for PTSD and other mental issues. Due to the screening process, therefore, these people find the opportunity to undergo treatment and education before they join their families.
The Program Effectiveness
According to most authors, such programs are achieving less. According to Bullman, Schneiderman&Gradus (2019), the rate at which veterans commit suicide means that the plans in place are not helping much to educate them and also help them with their mental problems. In a research study by Greer et al., (2020), the authors reveal that most of these programs concentrate on the treatment and ignore preventive measures. The authors, therefore, encourage sensitization, collaboration, and also reaching out for the soldiers to ensure that they benefit from such programs. In a research study byBlosnich et al. (2020), the authors claim that such programs are not achieving the expectation because of inadequate education. The plans should major in sensitization. Sensitization can allow soldiers in society to understand when and where to seek help in case of suicide ideation.
In my view, I think that despite the high rate of suicide among veterans, these programs are achieving a good milestone. The fact that the veterans must get screening and counseling before they join their families means that they understand the mental issues such as PTSD exist. Therefore, they can where to seek help or what to do in case of such problems. I think this contributes a lot to reduce the rate of suicide ideation among them.
References
Blosnich, J. R., Monteith, L., Holliday, R., Brenner, L., & Montgomery, A. E. (2020). Differences in Methods of Suicide among Veterans Experiencing Housing Instability, 2013-2016. Psychiatry Research , 112947.
Bullman, T., Schneiderman, A., &Gradus, J. L. (2019). The relative importance of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in predicting the risk of suicide among a cohort of Vietnam veterans. Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior , 49 (3), 838-845.
Greer, N., Sayer, N. A., Spoont, M., Taylor, B. C., Ackland, P. E., Macdonald, R., ...& Wilt, T. J. (2020). Prevalence and severity of psychiatric disorders and suicidal behavior in service members and veterans with and without traumatic brain injury: a systematic review. The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation , 35 (1), 1-13.
Liu, E. (2013). You're More Powerful than You Think: A Citizen's Guide to Making Change Happen, 2nd edition.
Singley, A., Olson, R., Adams, S., &Callender Highlander, H. (2019). CURE: A Mathematical Model of Suicide Risk Among U.S. Veterans.
