#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth – OPINION: Considering The Epidemic Of #Suicide Among #Veterans

By Marcel Gemme

This #MemorialDay, one way to honor the memory of those who fought for our country is to bring attention to the struggles of our current #veterans. It’s not hard to imagine how #military duty can lead to #mentalhealthissues, but what many don’t realize or fully appreciate is the crisis that #veteran #suicides have become.

The annual number of #Veteran #suicide deaths has exceeded 6,000 each year since 2008. Something that’s only now beginning to be understood is the strong link between #substanceabuse and #suicide. Once viewed as different pathologies, the two #mentalhealthissues are strongly connected and plague a disproportionate number of #veterans.

Brown University reported that since 9/11, there have been four times as many deaths by #suicide among active-duty personnel and #veterans than casualties in war operations. An estimated 7,057 service members have died during military operations since September 11, 2001, while #suicides among active-duty personnel and #veterans of those conflicts have reached 30,177.

Sadly, this puts into perspective the massive toll that #military service can take on a person and their #mentalhealth. The entity designed to protect us from threats, the US #military, sees far more casualties from #suicides than all the #American lives lost in the combined war threats we’ve faced over the last decade. And that’s a problem.

According to the 2019 National #Veteran #SuicidePrevention Annual Report, which the VA conducted, the #suicide rate for #veterans is 1.5 times the rate of non-veteran #adults. The report also revealed that #veterans comprise 13.5% of all adult deaths by suicide in the US but only make up 7.9% of the US #adult population.

#Suicide is a complex issue, with no single cause or easy solution. But we do know that a strong link exists between #suicide and #substanceabuse, because #veterans who have #drug or #alcohol problems are more than twice as likely to die by #suicide than those who don’t. And #female #veterans with #substanceabusedisorders have an even higher rate of #suicide, more than five times that of their peers.

The type of substance seems to be a factor, also. Among #veterans, those who abuse sedatives, and opioids, in particular, have the highest risk of #suicide. This finding comes from one of the largest studies of #substanceusedisorder and #suicide that involved more than 4.4 million #veterans.

#James Donaldson notes:

Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.

Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.

Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle

Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book,

Celebrating Your Gift of Life:

From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy

People often reach for substances to self-medicate, so it’s no surprise that #veterans who are struggling with other #mentalhealthissues will often turn to #drugs and #alcohol to cope. #Suicidalideation can closely resemble this pattern since the suicidal person is often similarly desperate to escape an unbearable existence. Perhaps this explains the correlation between the two issues.

Even among those who don’t serve, the correlation between substance abuse and #suicide is visible. According to Addicted.org, half of all #suicides in the US are tied to substance dependence. And among the population that abuses substances, one in four people commit #suicide.

But regardless of why the link exists, twenty #veterans die each day from #suicide in the US, a much higher rate than in the general population. And with the drug epidemic at its worst point ever, there’s genuine concern that #suicide could become an even bigger issue for #veterans in the future.

Thankfully, however, simply understanding that this link exists gives us one more tool to help those who need it. Treating substance abuse may indirectly reduce the risk of #suicide among people with comorbid #mentalhealthissues. And while doing such may not address the issue of #suicide completely or long-term, it could save a life and give the person long enough to have another chance.

These new findings illustrate a need to focus more #veteran #suicideprevention efforts on those with #substanceabusedisorders, particularly when other concurrent #mentalhealthissues are present. It’s no longer enough to know there’s a problem. We need to start tackling the issue of #veteran #suicide with the only tools we have.
Many #veterans have sacrificed their lives to protect our country. And of those who haven’t, many have given their sanity. This #MemorialDay let’s not forget about our #veterans. We can still save many of them and may even prevent #suicides by helping them overcome addiction.