Villains getting more attention than veterans?

Are you supporting veterans or villains?

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 21, 2018

This is the month when most Americans think about our veterans because of Veterans Day. The thing is, everyday is Veterans Day because they never stop being a veteran.

"...people donate more than $2.5 billion annually to the over 40,000 American charities with military-related missions."

If we fail to pay attention to what veterans need, they will still be used by groups and veterans will wonder if anyone really cares.

There is a lot of confusion about most charities. I got into one of those discussions yesterday. While all veterans served this country since the beginning, not all charities serve all veterans equally.

Charity Navigator has a list of charities focusing on veterans

The Federal Trade Commission, along with 70 other agencies, just announced 100 law enforcement actions across all 50 states against fraudulent charities stealing from individuals looking to give to nonprofits that support veterans and military members. During certain times of the year, we make time to honor the sacrifices many brave individuals have made and continue to make in order to keep us all safe. Americans love, respect, and honor our troops all year round -- in fact, people donate more than $2.5 billion annually to the over 40,000 American charities with military-related missions.We've curated this list of highly-rated trustworthy organizations providing a variety of services from lifting troops' morale to offering financial assistance for food, rent, utilities, and medical expenses. All of these organizations demonstrate financial responsibility and a commitment to accountability and transparency best practices.

As with all things, you need to find the charity itself to see who they are supposed to be working to help.

Wounded Warrior Project, for example, has this as their mission statement.

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Our purpose is: to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women; to help severely injured service members aid and assist each other; and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members.

But they do not do anything for the other generations, just the OEF and OIF generation.

WWP began as a small, grassroots effort to provide immediate assistance when a warrior of this generation was injured. We felt we could do the most good by providing more comprehensive programs and services to the newly injured, rather than spread ourselves too thin by trying to help all veterans. We also knew there were many terrific veterans' organizations for warriors from previous conflicts, but very few focused on serving our newest generation.

Also with them, you do not know where the funds are going since they give millions in grants to colleges. 

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) announced it has awarded $2.3 million in grants to organizations also serving this generation of injured service members and their families. Since its inception in 2012, the WWP Grant Program has awarded grants to over 85 different organizations, totaling more than $9.1 million.

Another key factor in all of this is none of the "suicide awareness" groups are on the lists. If you try to find out how many groups are doing the "awareness" stunts, you end up finding the results of groups doing prevention instead.

Having fun, doing stunts and having parties because veterans are killing themselves, is repulsive. It abuses the veterans they claim they care about. 

The most famous group is 22 Kill. This is their story....

History of 22KILL:

In 2012, the Veterans’ Administration (VA) released a Suicide Data Report that found an average of 22 veterans die by suicide everyday. The 22KILL initiative started in 2013, at first just as a social media movement to raise awareness, and later became an official 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 22KILL is committed to researching and understanding the common issues connected with suicide; including Post Traumatic Stress and depression, the various circumstances that they stem from, their effects on the individual, and the impact that suicide has on family, friends, and the community as a whole.

And yet, they seemed to have failed at researching the report that got them started. It stated clearly the "number" was not be taken as a whole because it was limited data from just 21 states.

For the rest of the results of the stunts, we find that right here.

Less veterans alive, more suicides, higher percentage of known suicides. Yet most of the groups do not even mention how many were not counted...or even have a clue about them.

They are not on the top 75 PTSD sites from Feedspot. This site is number 10!

So, if you want to keep having fun because veterans are killing themselves, think of what the result will be. The only stunts veterans have been doing lately are committing suicide in public so that you will be aware they were failed by all the 40,000 groups collect $2.5 billion a year!

Suicide Awareness is not suicide prevention!

Workers of iniquity

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
November 18, 2018

People seem to be under a delusion that "suicide awareness" is important. None of them can explain what the purpose actual is. 

Do not be under the delusion that suicide "awareness" has anything to do with prevention. It does not! All it does is offer a veteran who is contemplating it, that many others gave up on themselves.

Talking about veterans killing themselves, is something they already know how to do. Still, those who defend the stunts, claim it is not a harmful, while being unable to explain how it is helpful to anyone.

Matthew 7:21-23 King James Version (KJV)

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

A simply analogy: you find the courage to open up to a friend about something that is seriously grieving you. 

They listen. 

Then they respond with, "That happened to someone I know and they killed themselves." 

That robs you of hope. 

Yet when they respond with, "Someone I know went through the same thing. They got help and they are happier now." That restores hope.

Do no dare think that thousands of groups all over the country, calling attention to veterans killing themselves, have invested anything into changing the outcome. It is so easy to repeat a number, without knowing where that number came from, or how many more have been uncounted.

What is hard, is gaining the knowledge, and doing the work to actually restore hope. Show them that support from others can lead to healing.

When they are shown they were not worth the simple gesture of reading the reports the awareness raisers failed to do, their thoughts of being worthless are reenforced.

When they are shown that they do matter to others, then there is healing.

In 2015, a report came out on the cost of suicides. What was stunning is that attempted suicides also came with a heavy price.

Suicide and Suicidal Attempts in the United States

Some of the workers of iniquity get caught.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A nonprofit led by former Orlando mayoral candidate Neil "Paul" Paulson Sr. misled people who donated more than $20 million to his charity thinking the funds would go toward helping provide services to veterans,  Attorney General Pam Bondi said.Paulson and his nonprofit Help the Vets Inc. recently settled with Florida, California, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio and Oregon, in a lawsuit that alleges that between 2014 and 2017, Paulson collected donations across the U.S. "based on misleading promises that the donations would assist veterans by providing funding for grants, medical care, a suicide prevention program, therapeutic family retreats and similar programs," according to a news release from Bondi's office.

Fake charity pledged to fight veteran suicide. Instead, it kept millions of dollars.

Ten veterans charities that allegedly misused millions of dollars in donations are facing sanctions from California amid a nationwide crackdown on organizations that appear to manipulate the public’s goodwill for military service members.The biggest alleged offender was Help the Vets, a charity that reportedly misused $20 million it raised over four years and did not make good on its promises to help veterans.Some of its fundraising appeals promoted a veteran suicide prevention program that did not exist, according to an injunction released by the Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Trade Commission.The charity’s promotions used urgent language, such as, “22 VETERANS WILL DIE EACH DAY UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING.” The number refers to Department of Veterans Affairs studies that estimate 20 to 22 veterans take their own lives every day. 

Some lost support while others still gain attention for themselves. You know, the ones having events to have fun. 

If that does not nauseate you enough, go to one of the events and see what a good time they are having...because veterans are killing themselves.

Suicide Awareness is not suicide prevention!

What is wrong with the supports who find no fault in having a good time because veterans are killing themselves?

This is the chart from the latest VA Suicide Report

Notice how the numbers increased after Suicide Awareness started? Notice how the number of veterans decreased, which means that it all got worse for veterans needing to be aware of how to prevent taking their own lives?

Some fight the works of iniquity.

Former NIMH head Thomas Insel recently made a remarkable concession. He acknowledged that the biomedical framework he adopted while directing $20 billion dollars in NIMH research funds failed to "move the needle" in improving the lives of the millions of people with mental illnesses. Here is his full quote: “I spent 13 years at NIMH really pushing on the neuroscience and genetics of mental disorders, and when I look back on that I realize that while I think I succeeded at getting lots of really cool papers published by cool scientists at fairly large costs—I think $20 billion—I don’t think we moved the needle in reducing suicide, reducing hospitalizations, improving recovery for the tens of millions of people who have mental illness.”

It is time to kill the business they are in because it is one with a deadly outcome!

UPDATE
This is from one of those events that happened yesterday.

Nov. 17th, 2018

Challenge 22 - 2.2 Mile "Ruck" Walk and Block Party

Come out to join the Winter Garden American Legion Post 63, in partnership with the Crooked Can Brewery,  and our community for a walk , block party and a day of camaraderie to raise awareness for PTSD and Suicide in Veterans. 

Join us for a patriotic opening ceremony, the walk, raffles, food, drink, kids activities, live music and so much more!  You are encouraged to bring your Ruck (hiking pack) if you have one, but it is not required.  Walk the full 2.2 miles or stop after the first leg as we will pass back by the Post after the first 1/2 mile.  We are hoping to have some of our WWII, Korea and Vietnam vets participating along with the younger generations.  

Bring your family and friends to join the hike or just come out to enjoy the festivities, there will be something for everyone! Again, the goal is to have a great time, while raising awareness to a tragic epidemic of 22 suicides per day due to PTSD and lost HOPE.

Registration and sign in will begin at 10:30am. The opening ceremony, which will begin at 11:00am, will be followed by the 2.2 mile walk.  Immediately after the walk, we will have an afternoon of fun, with live music, food, Crooked Can beer, kids activities and so much more.  The live entertainment will end at 5pm, but the Plant Street Market businesses will remain open into the evening.

2.  What is a "Ruck"?  It is a pack that the military uses to carry their gear on hikes.  Typically they weight 50-100lbs.  

No requirement to carry anything, but you are welcome to bring your own pack (filled or empty...no one will know)

Suicide Awareness groups need to Stand Down!

Why think about only one way out of pain?

This is the result of all the suicide awareness groups delivering their deadly message. It is all over social media and in every email box filling up with stunts being pulled in your area.

If you have one of these groups, you need to stand down so that the rest of us can do our jobs. If you are serious about changing the outcome, then help us!

Keep all the money you are getting. Most of us do not want it because most of us have been doing the work for free! For the sake of those we are all supposed to be trying to help, help us get the message out that they can heal and suicide is not the only way out of their pain!

Stand Down on the message of death and stand up the message of hope that they can heal. Fight PTSD and #TakeBackYourLife instead of constantly reminding them of how far to many never heard they could!

This video is about first responders, Firefighters and Police Officers as well as National Guards members. It won an award from the IFOC back in 2008 when it was originally uploaded on YouTube.

Local first responder: ‘I felt the only way out was to kill myself’

WHIO
By: Gabrielle Enright
October 25, 2018

Like many full-time organizations, his deputies have access to mental health professionals. However, many first responders argue that more help is needed especially for small police and fire departments with part-timers and volunteers.

Marshall Gorby/Staff

— For most of us, the worst thing that happens at work is our boss gets angry or we lose a client. But for our first responders, work means a daily encounter with danger and death. Ben Norrod's 13 years as a Jefferson Township Firefighter had a heartbreaking start.

"Three months into my career, I had my first full (cardiac) arrest and it was a two-year old child," said Norrod. "We got back to the station and I just sat here and cried and I almost didn't want to do it anymore."

"The pain, it was overwhelming. I felt the only way out was to kill myself," Norrod said.

He is not alone. Suicide rates among first responders in the U.S. are soaring. The latest statistics show 103 firefighters and 140 police officers died by suicide last year. That is compared to 93 firefighters and 129 police officer line of duty deaths.

"If it takes one life, it's a problem," said Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer.
read more here

Report shows emergency responders are committing suicide more than line of duty deaths

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live)- "I think a lot of it has to do with the tendency of firefighters, police officers, EMS workers. We see a lot day to day, and we kind of hold it in a lot. We don't really talk about it," says Dan Fuller, Chief at West Fargo Fire Department.

Emergency responders put their lives on the line to protect and keep us safe.

With the unpredictability of the job comes a lot of stress, which can cause mental health challenges.

A new report shows that in 2017, firefighters and police officers are taking their own lives more times compared to them being killed in the line duty.

First responders are the first ones on scene, seeing some of the most tragic events. This can cause mental health challenges for some firefighters and police officers.

"The job itself is stressful because of the situations that we go to every single day, they're different from one to the next," says Jessica Schindeldecker, Fargo PD Crime Prevention and Public Information Officer.

A report shows that in 2017, there were 103 firefighters and 140 police officers who committed suicide compared to the 93 firefighters and 129 police officers who died in the line of duty.
read more on Valley News Live

‘Ask for Help:’ Husband of First Responder Speaks Out after She Took Her Own Life

SACRAMENTO -- Suicides among first responders are not uncommon.

It's a pain Marc Zayas knows very well.

"She was incredible. She did a lot in her short amount of time," Zayas said, remembering his wife, Chelsea Fox.

Zayas' 36-year-old wife was a former firefighter and veteran 911 dispatcher for the California Department of Forestry for the past 12 years. She excelled at her job but with that came overwhelming stress, chronic back pain and issues with opioid addiction.

"We're dealing with people on their worst day," Zayas said. "They don't call 911 for anything. So, you're dealing with someone on their worst day."

That stress ultimately led to her to take her own life last month.read more on FOX 40 News

CHP officer dies of self-inflicted gunshot wound

A California Highway Patrol officer killed himself Tuesday afternoon near Elk Grove with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the CHP said.

Officer Sean Poore, 31, a nine-year veteran, was found dead in his patrol vehicle, the CHP said.

Sacramento County coroner’s records show he was found on Lambert Road beneath the Interstate 5 overpass, and broadcasts of scanner traffic maintained by Broadcastify.com indicate fire and Elk Grove police were dispatched to the scene shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of an “unresponsive” person.read more on Sacramento Bee

Consider this the Veterans in Other News for today.

Florida and Texas tied for first place...in a very bad way
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
October 19, 2018

Consider this the Veterans in Other News for today.

Last week I got into a conversation about one of the "22" a day charities that I constantly complain about. I had to apologize about one group called Mission 22. The person I was talking to is heavily involved with them. He informed me that they are doing more than using the number. They are taking a personal interest in the veterans all by themselves.

One veteran was suicidal and they formed a chain to get someone to him. His life was saved. So yes, I was wrong and I am happy to admit that. I thought they were all the same, but they are not. Just goes to show how important it is to actually believe something is important enough to invest the time to discover what you need to know.

That got me thinking about how all of us need to do a better job when it comes to assuming anything. While trying to digest the crow I had to eat, I looked up Mission 22. I did not notice anything about this being only for post-9 11 veterans. That was a huge plus, as you will discover further down.

For the most part, too many hacks just saw the number, did no research other than how to set up their 501 c 3, and they ran with that. And that was the biggest reason of all contributing to the results you will now read.
The worst thing is, that for all the groups here in Florida, doing the "awareness" stunts, we have the highest total of known suicides, right along side of Texas. 

Actually both states have more known suicides than California. Florida and Texas had 530 while California had 490. Click the link and then see how your state did.

Florida has 1.5 million veterans, with about 76,000 OEF and OIF. Meaning the largest group of veterans are over the age of 50, which happen to be the majority of the known veterans dying by suicide.

And as for Florida and Texas, when the VA said they used the CDC numbers for veterans, the CDC said they have incomplete data for both states in the civilian population. Meaning they do not have a complete idea of how many veterans committed suicide.

7.1 million veterans used some services from the VA, so we know they are in their system. We do not know how many have not been included in any research. 


We also know that as of 2016, the year the data stops, there were 300,000 with other than honorable discharges, as reported by The New York Times and later by several other sources.

Since 2001, more than 300,000 people, about 13 percent of all troops, have been forced out of the military with less-than-honorable discharges. Congress has recognized in recent years that some of these discharges were the fault of dysfunctional screening for PTSD and other combat injuries, and it has put safeguards in place to prevent more — including requirements for mental health professionals to review all discharges

From Military Times

VVA officials estimate as many as 300,000 veterans nationwide may have been improperly dismissed from the service, leaving them more vulnerable to depression and suicide because of a lack of veterans health services.

Yet again, that is from OEF and OIF veterans, but not Vietnam veterans. This is what Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam Veteran, was trying to correct back in 2014, as reported on Army Times.

The suit estimated that about one-third of the 250,000 other-than-honorable discharges issued to Vietnam era veterans may have been PTSD-related. 

So, there you have the facts and the results with the virtual elimination of over half a million veterans from all the "facts" that the press has avoided mentioning within the big story of "22" or "20" veterans taking their own lives.

Still with all of that, this is the most telling thing of all. When you look at the data from the VA, it clearly shows the most alarming thing of all. The daily "reported" total of suicides in the veterans population has remained unchanged, yet the number of living veterans has dropped by over 4 million.
  
Known veteran suicides from 2005 to 2016

And as for current military members, it is as bad as it was back in 2012 with an average of 500 per year. This is as of the second quarter of 2018 from the Department of Defense.

How is your state doing on Veteran Suicides?

The Department of Veterans Affairs data on veteran suicide for 2016. How is your state? Considering Florida and Texas tie for 1st place, it is interesting to see what other states are reporting. 

The challenge for reporters is to actually read the report this time, and they stop the slogan of "22 a day" since that number has been proven to be false. The VA warned about it being taken from limited data from just 21 states. Yet reporters must have thought, "hey that sounds good to me" so they pushed it. They still are. Check your state and then get an eyeopener at the end.

The challenge for us is, discovering how many veterans charities are in your state claiming to be "raising awareness" at the same time?

ALABAMA

An estimated 34.2 Alabama veterans per 100,000 died by suicide in 2016, compared to the national veteran suicide rate of 30.1 per 100,000. Among the civilian population, the national suicide rate drops to 17.5.

The state of Alabama boasts a higher percentage of its population as veterans. In 2016, the VA found 9.8 percent of the adult population of Alabama to be veterans, compared to 6.6 percent nationally. A total of 373,761 veterans live in our state. WAFF 48 News

128

ALASKA

17

ARIZONA

227

ARKANSAS

79

CALIFORNIA

490

COLORADO

175

CONNECTICUT

36

DELAWARE

24

WASHINGTON DC

LESS THAN10

FLORIDA 

530

GEORGIA 

202

HAWAII

11

IDAHO

58

ILLINOIS

162

INDIANA

70

IOWA

64

KANSAS

60

KENTUKY

108

LOUISIANA

75

MAINE

29

MARYLAND

67

MASSACHUSETTS

68

MICHIGAN

159

MINNESOTA

95

MISSISSIPPI

50

MISSOURI

154

MONTANA

42

NEBRASKA

27

NEVADA

According to the latest data released by the U.S. Department of Veterans affairs., Nevada's veteran suicide rate is also significantly higher than the national rate. 8 News Las Vegas

The vast majority are men of all ages. The local V.A. Hospital in North Las Vegas helps more than 60,000 military members. About 20,000 of them seek mental health treatment.

107

NEW HAMPSHIRE

33

NEW JERSEY

67

NEW MEXICO

71

NEW YORK

153

NORTH CAROLINA

184

NORTH DAKOTA

16

OHIO

245

OKLAHOMA

110

OREGON

122

Oregon advocates target alarming veteran suicide rate

One such tragedy happens in Oregon every 3 days

PENNSYLVANIA

263

PUERTO RICO

LESS THAN10

RHODE ISLAND

16

SOUTH CAROLINA

120

SOUTH DAKOTA

18

TENNESSEE

156

TEXAS

530

UTAH

59

VERMONT

25

VIRGINIA

196

WASHINGTON

174

WEST VIRGINIA

50

WISCONSIN

132

WYOMING

23

Right now they are jumping on the "decrease" in suicides while not mentioning the fact the number of veterans living at the time, has gone down every year. The rate has gone up until 2016 when it went down by only .4%.

Do not let them get away with pushing a slogan this time too. If not, then what do you think the next report will look like? 

Most attempted suicide survivors did not seek help first

Many soldiers who attempt suicide have no prior mental health diagnosis
Journalist's Resource
Chloe Reichel

Soldiers without a documented history of mental health concerns were much more likely to attempt suicide early in their service than those with a documented diagnosis history. Nearly 60 percent of the attempts among soldiers without a history occurred in their first year of service, compared with 20 percent for those with a history.

One risk factor unique to those without a mental health diagnosis history was enlisting at a young age – before age 21.

Over one-third of a sample of American soldiers who attempted suicide did not have a prior mental health diagnosis, a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry finds. But the risk factors that predict suicide attempts in these soldiers are largely the same as those for soldiers who previously have been diagnosed with a mental health issue.

Dr. Robert J. Ursano, a psychiatrist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and lead author of the study, said this points to the importance of broad screening efforts.

“There are those at risk who never come into specialty care,” Ursano told Journalist’s Resource.

This research gets at how to better identify this population.

The study looked at administrative records belonging to a sample of 9,650 enlisted U.S. Army soldiers with a documented suicide attempt occurring between 2004 and 2009. Nearly three-quarters of the sample was male. The researchers looked at the risk factors among these soldiers, comparing the factors involved for those with and without a prior history of mental health concerns.

Veterans as a group are at a higher risk for suicide than civilian adults — 22 percent higher, according to a 2016 report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Nationally, across the whole population, suicide rates are increasing, according to statistics issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
read more here

This does not mean they did not have PTSD. It means they did not seek mental health help!

Suicide Awareness Month Warning!

The VA Releases Second National Suicide Data Report
Why using "22 veteran suicides a day" is inaccurate and potentially harmful.
Psychology Today
Meaghan Mobbs
Posted Aug 28, 2018

"When the first report was released in 2012, many people, in a well-meaning effort to call attention to something alarming, miscarried the application of the 22-a-day narrative. This number now dominates social media and has been adopted by a number of Veteran Service Organizations." Meaghan Mobbs  

This summer the Department of Veterans Affairs released its second VA National Suicide Data Report. This report, again representing a joint effort between the VA, analysts, and researchers, assesses suicide data from 2005 to 2015. Its predecessor, released in 2012, gave rise to the widely held belief that 22 veterans a day die by suicide. This report adjusts that figure by two, establishing a number closer to 20 a day--a number which has reportedly remained constant from 2008-2015. Moreover, the report states that this number also includes active duty service members, National Guard, and Reservists.

This report farther breaks down that number into those using VA-provided care (six per day), Veterans not utilizing VA services (11 a day), and those currently on active duty, National Guard, and/or in the Reserves (four a day). Perhaps, most importantly, it contains information on ethnicity, era of service, and age group comparisons.

The result is a refutation of the current belief that younger veterans, or those of the Global War on Terror generation (post-9/11 veterans), account for the bulk of veteran suicides. In fact, veterans who served during peacetime (i.e. the years between major conflicts) account for one-third of deaths by suicide in 2015. read more here

Who is she?

Meaghan Mobbs, M.A. is a West Point graduate, Afghanistan Veteran, and former Army Captain who is currently an advanced Clinical Psychology doctoral student at Columbia University, Teachers College.  Mobbs is also a David O’Connor Fellow, Tillman Military Scholar, and a Noble Argus and National Military Family Association Scholarship recipient. 

Fighting against all the "awareness raisers" running around the country has been one of the worst experiences of my life. Friends, or people I thought were my friends, ended up defending these people and dismissing everything I tried to get them to understand.

Do you think this has been fun for me? Do you think it has been a good way to spend my time? It has done more damage to my outlook on life considering it must have been the same when rational people were trying to get fools to stop believing the world was flat!

Here is the post that this video came from

Kathie Costos DiCesare
Published on Aug 25, 2018
If you are passing along the "22" or "20" a day referring to veterans committing suicide, shame on you! If you are making money to "raise awareness" about something you have no clue about, there is no excuse for you to continue. We now know the VA and the CDC do not even know how many veterans are committing suicide while far too many are committing suicide in PUBLIC~! Advocates are freaking out because the only voice in getting into veterans' heads is they are just a number!

I had to do this to be able to do the PTSD Patrol video. After yet another suicide at a VA in Indiana, I could not get out of a really lousy mood until I did this.

Last night I had yet another one of those conversations where I was told "I'm just sticking with the 22 a day crowd because that is the number everyone knows."

It did not matter how many times I have proven that this claim is doing more harm than good, and isn't even factual, it was dismissed. Worse was when I had people I know call me a liar. 

Well, this morning what I've been saying for years received vindication from someone with the credentials to add to the seriousness of what has actually been going on.

When I read the healine, The VA Releases Second National Suicide Data Report" I was getting ready to slam it, since that report came out in June. A second later I read the sub-headline and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up!

Why using "22 veteran suicides a day" is inaccurate and potentially harmful.

Meaghan lists the fact that the majority of the known suicides are in fact veterans over the age of 50.

She has the fact that for younger veterans:

"The higher suicide rate among younger service members and veterans (age 18-34) is concerning and harder to understand.   A commonly used key demographic bracket (18-34) in research, the belief is that those that fall within that cohort share similar experiences or characteristics.  However, for anyone that has spent time in the military, the experience of an 18 year old on his or her first tour of duty is vastly different from a 32 year old, non-commissioned officer, with multiple deployments who has transitioned out. Unfortunately, the report does not shed more light on where the burden is most significant in that population." 

This came after over a decade of the military doing "resilience training" which basically told the service members they could "train their brains to be mentally strong" and in other words, they heard, they were mentally weak if they ended up with PTSD. Then you also had the fact that over 300,000 were kicked out instead of being helped. All you have to do is read the reports from the DOD on suicides within the military to know this training does not work! The average since 2012 has been 500 a year.

Here are some more points that you need to consider from this article since you have no believe me!

"So outside of the obvious pitfalls of using an inaccurate number to capture a phenomenon that may not actually be a phenomenon across time and space, it is also worth considering that the continued emphasis on awareness and attention to veteran suicide may be contributing to it. A cursory search of the hashtag #22aday or #22kill nets hundreds of thousands of results. The most recent posting? Three hours ago, with the top results being videos of people doing push-ups to raise awareness. Even more disheartening, if you are to search the hashtag #suicide, a pop-up appears with a warning and offer of help."

For this part, consider this. If you lost all hope, would learning about more who decided one more day was not worth being here for, do you any good to want to stay?

"Furthermore, there is a strong body of evidence to suggest that suicide is contagious. People who complete suicide are already vulnerable for a whole host of reasons, and publicity around another suicide appears to make a difference. This suggests that one death can set off others."

Yet when you hear that there is something to hope for, getting the right information and help to heal, is there, then you have hope! When you discover that the lives of veterans meant so little to the people raising awareness, they did not bother to research anything, it is like a dagger into your already wounded heart.

And this is the reason I started PTSD Patrol

"While researchers and mental health professionals may be missing pieces of the puzzle, we can all act to combat the existing narrative and drive dialogue around military and veteran suicide. The 22-a-day belief is damaging and contributes to the "broken vet" stereotype."

She is yet again, totally right on that too. You are not broken! You are not weak! Nothing is hopeless and neither are you as long as you #CombatPTSD and #TakeBackYourLife as a survivor!

If your really want to do something to prevent more veterans from taking their own lives, I urge you to read the rest of this article and the next time you read something about "raising awareness" remember this part from the article. She ran into the same nonsense I have all these years!

"Personal efforts made to provide information to veteran businesses referring to and using "22 a day," have been met with astonishing responses. From “it’s recognizable,” to “its part of our brand,” to changing it “will detract from our message,” are all actual conversations I’ve had. It seems possible that the monetization and adoption of an incorrect suicide statistic for gain, whether it’s "likes," dollars, attention, or appealing to donors, is happening."  

Glad this article came out at the end of August since next month the articles will be all over the country as more and more reports have to do their quote of feel good stories and will once more allow these people to simply gain support for a number that is a flat out lie! Yes, September is Suicide Awareness Month and now you know a lot more than the people asking for your support will ever learn!