Soldier Suicides Major Problem; Military Culture Part of Cause
by Matt Canham
Salt Lake Tribune
Washington ยป The question from the counselor was simple and straightforward: Did anyone need help dealing with the violence they encountered on the front lines in Iraq?
No one in the Marine unit raised their hand, especially not Daniel Hanson, who thought he didn’t even have the “right” to ask for a therapist’s help since he experienced far less death and destruction than did his friends in the infantry.
But he did need help — and after a two-year struggle with depression, drugs and alcohol Hanson received it in an intense in-patient treatment center. But not before his marriage ended and he became estranged from his kids. Not before he attempted to end his own life.
“I was pretty much a monster,” he said. “I thought I had to kill myself before my kids learned what a loser their dad is.”
Hanson, from Minnesota, shared his experiences with a Senate panel on Wednesday that explored the alarming rate of suicide among the nation’s newest veterans. Among the other panelists was David Rudd, a suicide expert from the University of Utah who advocated for a change in military culture and more partnerships with outside groups like the one that ultimately helped Hanson to help counteract the high level of military suicides.
The federal government estimates that 18 active veterans kill themselves every day. That number may rise as more service members return from the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This problem is real,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “This has to be an effort where we use every available resource.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched new ways to work with veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems — one of the most successful being a new suicide prevention hot line catering to veterans — 800-273-TALK. But Hanson said these services, while nice, are not enough. He felt the government treated him as a number, not a person, and he finally received the help he needed at a private treatment center, where he stayed for 15 months.
Hanson graduated from the program a week ago.
Rudd, the dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Utah, said Hanson’s story illustrates the need for a more extensive and innovative approach to mental health, which should stretch on for years after service members leave the military and begin when they are just recruits.
“We are not reaching the veterans who are the highest risk,” he told the Senate committee. “The nature of the military culture is at the heart of the problem.”
The services train men and women to be warriors, and people with illnesses, particularly mental ones, are often considered weak. Rudd said military training needs to change this perception and discuss potential mental health problems in basic training. Removing the stigma would go a long way in helping people like Hanson get help before their life unravels, Rudd said.
While he called the VA’s programs “cutting edge,” Rudd suggested that they should partner with outside groups to continue treatment long after a veteran retires. He suggested programs involving colleges would be a good start, since many veterans who return from Afghanistan and Iraq will go on to get an education.
“We would welcome the opportunity to partner with the VA system,” he said.