MENTAL HEALTH SPECIAL SECTION: Veterans’ mental health: problems and solutions – Therogersvillereview

Over 6,000 veterans died each year between 2008 and 2017.

These shocking numbers are not caused by heart disease or cancerthe CDCs (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) top two leading causes of death for 2017.

Each of these 6,000 veterans died by suicide.

This information is part of the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report published by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, which is the most up-to-date report released by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. This 6,000+ per year was broken down to a rate of 15.9 Veteran suicides per day in 2005 and 16.8 in 2017.

The report also states that, in 2017, the suicide rate for Veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-Veteran adults, after adjusting for population differences in age and sex.

Though the problem is on an alarming scale, Danny Breeding, who recently retired as the Hawkins County Veterans Service Officer, wants veterans to know that there is help available.

Where can veterans seek help?

Veterans in need of mental health assistance or medical help of any kind can visit the Rogersville VA Clinic, which is located at 410 Scenic Drive #201 in Rogersville. More information about this office can be found at https://www.mountainhome.va.gov/locations/Rogersville.asp, and they can also be reached by phone at (423) 235-1471.

The Rogersville clinic is part of the larger-scale Mountain Home VA Healthcare System in Johnson City, which is located at Veterans Way and Lamont Street in Mountain Home, Tenn. More information about this office can be found at https://www.mountainhome.va.gov/locations/directions.asp, and they can also be reached by phone at (423) 926-1171.

Breeding noted that, whatever a veterans specific situation may be, there is a program for them.

There are programs specifically for women veterans, group settings with family, programs for PDST (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), Breeding said. Everything associated with mental health, the VA is involved with it.

Help from the comfort of your home

Breeding also noted that there are mental health options for veterans who do not feel comfortable visiting Mountain Home or another VA clinic.

Right now, the VA offers several kinds of mental health assistance online, such as The Veteran Training self-help portal for overcoming daily challenges, which offers free online courses designed specifically for veterans; numerous smart phone apps designed with a partnership between the VA and the Department of Defense; and a new tele-mental health program, which allows you to connect with a VA mental health provider through a computer or mobile device in your home or at your nearest VA health facility.

These are, perhaps, more useful than ever now that COVID-19 has made it difficult to gather in large groups.

Breeding noted that the Rogersville VA Clinic offers this kind of tele-mental help. The tele-mental health program is part of the VAs telehealth program, which helps ensure veteran patients get the right care in the right place at the right time and aims to make the home into the preferred place of care, whenever possible according to the VAs official website.

VA Crisis Line is available 24/7

The VA also runs a crisis line, which connects you to a qualified Veterans Crisis Line responder and is private, free and available 24/7.

This Crisis Line takes the form of a phone number you can call, a number you can use to correspond with someone via text, and even an online chat service.

At the aforementioned website, you can even take a self-check quiz to see what kind of VA or community-based service is right for you.

First, lets talk about our younger veterans and the multiple deployments theyve had to do over the years, Breeding said when explaining some factors that contribute to veteran suicide rates. These take a toll on their body both physically and mentally. Its taken a toll on their family. Its even worse if they have to leave families or wives numerous times over a period of years.

Breeding explained that, in the past, multiple deployments were unusual unless a soldier volunteered to do so. He explained that longer terms and multiple deployments began during the Gulf War.

My stent was one year, and you were done, he said of his own time deployed during the Vietnam War. Your tour in Vietnam only consisted of one year unless you were a career soldier, and some of them volunteered to go back.

PTSD and TBI also naturally account for large numbers of veteran suicides.

TBI is considered a signature wound of our younger soldiers, he said. Some of them cant wait or dont respond to treatment very well. Then, you also have a lot of soldiers who have lost limbs because of the IEDsthe explosive bombs on the side of the road that can just completely blow a vehicle up. Some people have more of those than other wounds.

He explained that each war has a signature wound that is common among combat veterans. The signature wound from the Vietnam War, for example, is PTSD.

Breeding also noted that there is a difference between TBI and PTSD in that TBI is like a concussion and PTSD is more emotional issues like sleeplessness and irritability though symptoms can often be similar.

PTSD usually occurs years later, after the fact, he said. You suffer from TBI pretty much immediately.

He also explained that the VA is also calling attention to MST (military sexual trauma) among soldiers and veterans.

This doesnt exclude the male soldiers, either, Breeding explained. Weve seen both sides.

The stigma surrounding mental health

For some of them, there is a stigma, Breeding said. Theyre often too proud. They dont want to admit that they need help, and they think it shows weakness. I see that a lot with what I do here (as Veterans Service Officer), and I can tell them exactly this is what you need to do, and they might say no, I think Im okay. Yet, theyll tell me all of their symptoms and, yes, they have symptoms of PTSD. Sometimes you have to take the shoebox from the shelf, open it up, and throw it away. You do that by talking about it.

Breeding noted that this form of talking about your experiences is called Cognitive Processing Therapy.

The ones who dont want to do it (seek help) think its a sign of weakness, but, in my mind, its a sign of strength if they want to pursue it and use what the VA has to offer to help them cope. Its going to make it easier on them and easier on their family.

He explained that a good way to get past this stigma is to find someone who understands what youre going through and start talking. The VA even offers group settings where veterans can do exactly that.

From my experience, its helpful to sit and talk with someone who has been-there-done-that, he said. Not necessarily a young psychologist or sociologist. We veterans feel more comfortable talking among ourselves. I have found that, since Ive been doing this job, after talking with veterans who have had that stigma, once they reach out, theyre much better for it.

How can I help a struggling veteran?

Most people who are not veterans probably know a veteran, Breeding added. Maybe there are some veterans who arent aware of the programs that are out there. If a non-veteran knows of a veteran who needs help, know that there is plenty of help out there. Sometimes, it may take a family member to encourage that veteran to find help.

He encouraged family and friends of veterans to educate themselves on the problems faced by veterans as well as the options for seeking help. Learn how to spot some symptoms of mental health issues and suicidal behavior.

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MENTAL HEALTH SPECIAL SECTION: Veterans' mental health: problems and solutions - Therogersvillereview