Not since the great military suicide epidemic of the American Civil
War have we seen so many of our heroes, our soldiers and veterans,
die by suicide. Why? War is violence. There is intent to cause
death, or serious injury, or threat to the physical and
psychological integrity of others. War stress is unforgiving.
Suicide is an all too frequent response. Today, one member of the
military dies by suicide every day. This is a new epidemic. This
book addresses some tough questions: What do we know about suicides
in the military? Are rates high? Or low? Is military suicide the
same or different in the United States and Canada? Is military
culture relevant? Do we know the causes, patterns, and
associations? Is suicide among the armed forces similar to or
different from suicide among civilians? Can it be altruistic?
Through individual case studies and general/population approaches,
we attempt to understand the cost of military service. It is
especially through the personal stories of the great Civil War hero
General Emory Upton, Admiral of the Navy Mike Boorda, and Hospital
Corpsman Chris Purcell that we find answers. We learn there is a
relative lack of understanding about military suicides, mainly due
to the very complexity of suicide. The nature of suicide is not
monolithic--it is multi-determined. Military service, we find, is a
risk factor for suicide and suicidal behavior. Military veterans
are twice as likely as civilians to die by suicide. Posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain Injury (TBI) are
especially noted to be huge risk factors, but so are other physical
and psychological injuries. Sadly, the aftershocks of war include
not only suicides but also incarceration, motor vehicle accidents,
homicides, homicide(s)-suicides, and many more faces of violence.
And there are many more, uncounted, wounded and dead. The families
of traumatized soldiers and veterans, too, are indirect victims of
their traumatic experience and, for some, their suicides; there is
secondary traumatization. Yet, as this book shows, we must not
forget that despite the unbearable pain of war, soldiers, veterans,
and their military families, including children, are typically
resilient. They can survive! Without question, our vulnerable
heroes and veterans are at risk for suicide. But there is secrecy
surrounding this, which may well be the biggest barrier. The
government, the Department of Defense, the military, veterans
groups, survivors, health providers, and other stakeholders need to
develop and support more research, more programs, and more care for
suicidal and disabled armed services personnel, veterans, and
survivors. This war stress needs to stop.
General
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