More vets may die from suicide than in combat
Bloomberg Posted 10 weeks agoThe number of suicides among veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may exceed the combat death toll because of inadequate mental health care, the U.S. government's top psychiatric researcher said.
Community mental health centers, hobbled by financial limits, haven't provided enough scientifically sound care, especially in rural areas, said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He briefed reporters today at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting in Washington.
Thoughts
Tragic.
Submitted on May 6th, 2008 by The Big KlosowskiI know that many of the wives of my friends coming back are as concerned with the mental state of their returning husbands, and its long term consequences on their family, as they are with the daily safety issues. War can damage people permanently, I've seen it happen, and it's tragic.
The costs of war
Submitted on May 5th, 2008 by JoelThis, of course, is one of the costs of war that we don't really like to talk about -- a toll that doesn't get added into the $3 trillion or so that Joseph Stiglitz has estimated we'll end up paying for Iraq.
And this is why wars of choice are almost always a bad idea. To *choose* to be able to go to war is an extravagance, but it is one that is paid, partially, with the souls of the men and women who go for us. It's a cliche because it's true: War is hell. It damages even the heartiest soldiers. This is not to endorse the "wacko vet myth," but it is to recognize that killing, and seeing killing, is not normal.
And in the case of Iraq, it's not worth it.