[HM2Viking]

The debate over the subject of suicide, and the treatment of soldiers and veterans, continues in Washington. Meanwhile, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are killing themselves at an alarming rate.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?arti..._care_for_vets

[oramar]

Any mental health professional who has the nerve to testify that the suicides are related to personal problems like break-up of marriage and job loss but NOT related to going to war should be given a kick in the butt. Any civilian can figure out that there are going to be readjustment problems when a persons returns to home, family and work after a long separation. Add to the fact that the entire time military personel are gone people are trying to kill them and maim them while they are witnessing other human beings being killed and maimed and you got double trouble. What kind of dope would think for a moment that their are no connections between these military personel and their deployment and personal and mental health problems.

[Asia53]

Originally Posted by HM2Viking

The debate over the subject of suicide, and the treatment of soldiers and veterans, continues in Washington. Meanwhile, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are killing themselves at an alarming rate.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?arti..._care_for_vets

My psych clinicals were at the VA. Funding has been cut to a very limited level. Weekend coverage was slashed to nonexistant. The staff would tell the vets, come to the hospital, hang out in the lobby on the weekends. It was better than them wandering the streets, or staying home by themselves.

How do you do something with almost nothing???

Asia

[StNeotser]

Ah, don't worry. I'm sure the corrections program that America loves to support will soon "take care" of these people. Those that don't top themselves.

I'm sure the USA doesn't want to lose it's lead with it's world breaking 1 in 99 adults in custody statistic.

[chocokitten]

Wow... so much to say on this subjectt I'm not sure where to begin.
I am a RN at my local VA hospital. I serve the veterans here on the telemetry floor but my passion is psych. This article brings mixed feelings for me. First off I would like to respond to this "Suicide among veterans and soldiers has been occurring with a disturbing frequency in recent years. Approximately 1,000 individuals receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) kill themselves each year, according to VHA records"
First off... 1000/year... out of what??? all the vets seen for mental health related care at one facility? or all the veterans in the united states seen at ANY VA facility for ANY reason???? According to http://www.nvf.org/facts-about-veter...-and-solutions we provide medical care to 5.5 million veterans. If this 1000/5.5 million??? The article doesn't say... I do know that the rate of suicide among veterans is over twice that of the civilian population, but I don't like how they throw this "1000/year" number out, with no context at all.
I feel that our facility does a LOT for our vets, and I'd say at least 25% of the vets I see on my floor are PTSD. When a vet is diagnosed as PTSD they are considered a precentage (not sure how much) "service connected" which means that they are entitled to a certain level of care with less out of pocket expense than non-service connected individuals. I don't know exactly all the services available here but I do know we have an inpatient psych ward as well as an outpatient mental health clinic and an active social work presence in this facitlity. We have psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, psychiatric nurses, MD's, techs, that all participate in caring for our veterans with mental illness. However, like everywhere we are short staffed (especially with nurses). The facility has been trying to fix this by offering bonuses to staff that recruit professionals into psych. There is also a VA facility that focuses in psych approx. 2 hours from here that offers all the services of our facility but also offers long term inpatient psych care for vets that need more help (I've known some patients with Dementia that stay there).
It's true that the VA does tend to put veterans through hoops when they are trying to get a diagnosis of PTSD... This is due to some vets using PTSD as an easy route to a larger % service-connection and disability funds. it's unfortunate and I know it delays needed treatment, but the VA distinguishes between mental illness cause pre-service and during service. Often people with mental illness self-select military service. Historically our military did not do a great job of screening out these individuals prior to admission to the military (they are doing better with this now, but there are still loop holes and people that fall through the cracks).
The VA has been getting a bad rep lately, but we are really trying to do our best with the financial resources, patient population, and staffing that we have. We do an extraordinary amount of research at VA's throughout the country, we are the leading health care facility in computerized charting (which streamlines safe, effective, efficient care for our vets). Things are not perfect... but we are continually trying to improve. Just wish articles like these would try to show the whole picture.
That's my 50cents worth lol... sorry for the LONG post but this is a hot topic for me.

[RedZeppelinRN]

Originally Posted by oramar

Any mental health professional who has the nerve to testify that the suicides are related to personal problems like break-up of marriage and job loss but NOT related to going to war should be given a kick in the butt. Any civilian can figure out that there are going to be readjustment problems when a persons returns to home, family and work after a long separation. Add to the fact that the entire time military personel are gone people are trying to kill them and maim them while they are witnessing other human beings being killed and maimed and you got double trouble. What kind of dope would think for a moment that their are no connections between these military personel and their deployment and personal and mental health problems.

How easy is it for the judgmental ones who have not been on the ground with the foot soldiers that have experienced unbelievable horrors make such statements? HOW DARE THEY?

[HM2Viking]

Choco,

This wasn't posted as a criticism of the VA. Far from it! If you look up my posts you will find that I am very supportive of the VA system. I just graduated in Dec and I am interviewing for a new grad position in psych tomorrow.

I know of a case here in MN where a vet committed suicide while waiting for an urgent care appointment with the St Cloud VA. My reading of the article was a call for Washington to make sure that the VA and DOD hospitals have the tools needed to provide appropriate mental health care.
Rgds

[chocokitten]

Originally Posted by HM2Viking

Choco,

This wasn't posted as a criticism of the VA. Far from it! If you look up my posts you will find that I am very supportive of the VA system. I just graduated in Dec and I am interviewing for a new grad position in psych tomorrow.

I know of a case here in MN where a vet committed suicide while waiting for an urgent care appointment with the St Cloud VA. My reading of the article was a call for Washington to make sure that the VA and DOD hospitals have the tools needed to provide appropriate mental health care.
Rgds

no no, I Didn't think you were trying to criticize the VA Me and the article just saw things a little differently ^_^ I agree, we NEED more funding and better tools so we can give out vets the care they deserve! Glad you posted this, I just needed to respond to it is all I got my vent out of my system now lol

[flightnurse2b]

the funding of medical care for vets in this country breaks my heart. not only because one of my best friends is on his 4th tour in iraq with a pregnant wife and two kids at home, but because of all the vets on the streets in despirate need of mental and medical care.

we had a patient who was a vietnam vet, FF in the ER with esophageal ca that made its way to the bone. because the closest VA facility was over 2 hrs away, he always came to us. he lived in a van and drove it from place to place on vegetable oil that he stole from publix. he was always in a tremendous amount of respiratory distress and pain when he made his way to the ER, and typically the doctor would waive his registration because he was dying and basically homeless. he had gotten arrested for selling some of his possessions outside of a walmart to make money for his pain medications. the last time ernie came to the ER, he was DOA, from a self inflicted GSW to the head.

it breaks my heart. i am in fear for the new generation vets coming home from iraq. i really and truly think the system has failed them.

[ScoopsPerson]

I am a VA nurse as well but I don't work on the Psych Unit. Our Vets and mental illness is a HUGE nationwide problem but unfortunatly they are not getting the attention. My VA Hospital was originally built in the 1970's to be strictly a Mental Health VA, but it was quickly turned into a regular hospital with just a handful of beds for mental health. This is the story for all our citizens whether they be a Vet or not..Mental Health is Health Care's "Bastard" child. No one is willing to put the funding into this area...unless you are pharmaceutical company and want to market a new psych drug. Our Congress will appropriate huge sums of money for fighting a War, but not for treating the victims..our soliders.
My heart is with the Vets and that is why I chose to work at a VA. I am hopeful with our next administration, our Vets will get the funding to tackle this major national issue...