Suicide hot line got calls from 22,000 veterans
WASHINGTON (AP) - July 28, 2008 According to a recent RAND Corp. study, roughly one in five
soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan displays symptoms of
post-traumatic stress disorder, putting them at a higher risk for
suicide. Researchers at Portland State University found that male
veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide than men who are not
veterans.
This month, a former Army medic, Joseph Dwyer, who was shown in
a Military Times photograph running through a battle zone carrying
an Iraqi boy, died of an accidental overdose after struggling with
post-traumatic stress disorder for almost five years.
Janet Kemp, national suicide prevention coordinator for the
Veterans Affairs Department, said the hot line is in place to help
prevent deaths such as Dwyer's. "We just want them to know there's
other options and people do care about them, and we can help them
make a difference in their lives," she said in an interview.
The VA teamed up with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration to launch the hot line last July after
years of criticism that the VA wasn't doing enough to help wounded
soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In April, two
veterans groups sued the VA, citing long delays for processing
applications and other problems in treatment for veterans at risk
for suicide. The department has spent $2.9 million on the hot line
thus far.
The hot line receives up to 250 calls per day - double the
average number calling when it began. Kemp said callers are divided
evenly between veterans from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam
wars. Richard McKeon, public health adviser for SAMHSA, said 10 to
20 of the 1,575 calls received each week have to be rerouted to
high-volume backup call centers throughout the country.
The VA estimates that every year 6,500 veterans take their own
lives. The mental health director for the VA, Ira Katz, said in an
e-mail last December that of the 18 veterans who commit suicide
each day, four to five of them are under VA care, and 12,000
veterans under VA care are attempting suicide each year.
This month, the hot line began an advertising campaign in
Washington area subway stations and buses featuring the slogan,
"It takes the courage and strength of a warrior to ask for help."
The veterans hot line, which is linked to the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline, received 55,000 callers in its first year,
including both veterans and people who are concerned about them,
according to figures being released Monday. One-third of the 40
specially trained counselors are veterans themselves.
"We try to get them (callers) to talk about their situation and
what they remember and see if they can identify exactly what their
issues are. I think there's a comfort in knowing that they can get
some help from people who do understand what combat stress is
like," Kemp said.
From the call center, counselors instantly can check a veteran's
medical records and then connect the caller to local VA suicide
prevention coordinators for follow-up, monitoring and care at local
VA medical centers. Kemp said that since the hot line started, 106
veterans have been steered to free medical care from the VA.
Kemp said the hot line was put in place specifically for those
veterans who don't get enough help until it's too late. "They have
indicated to us that they are in extreme danger, either they have
guns in their hand or they're standing on a bridge, or they've
already swallowed pills," she said. Kemp said 1,221 veterans who
were in such situations were rescued during the hot line's first
year.
The VA is preparing for the eventual return of a large number of
troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. This could put added stress on
the mental health screening program for returning veterans, which
could lead to a rise in undiagnosed mental health issues. The VA
recently got enough money to double its suicide prevention staff
and is planning to hire 212 more people soon.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a
day by calling 800-273-TALK (8255); veterans should press "1"
after being connected.
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On the Net:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/