Health News
- Kentucky's Suicide Rate Is Above The National Average; Experts Say We Need To Ignore The Stigma And Become Educated About It
Kentucky's suicide rate is higher than the national average, and an expert says we must create an open dialogue about it and provide more education if we want this rate to decrease, Kat Russell reports for The Paducah Sun. "People commit suicide when...
- Fort Campbell Works To Address Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Common Ailment Of Afghanistan-iraq Veterans
Research shows almost 14 percent of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afganistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and as an estimated 2 million veterans are coming home, Fort Campbell has quickly acted by reaching out to the medical...
- State Task Force Will Look At Substance Abuse, Mental Health Care For Military Members, Veterans And Families
To help the increasing number of veterans and military service personnel who are needing treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues in Kentucky, a task force has been assembled to come up with strategies that show the most promise in providing...
- Fort Campbell Soldier Who Went Awol, And Says His Kentucky Ptsd Treatment Was Inadequate, Is Set To Return To Afghanistan
A Fort Campbell-based soldier who went absent without leave because of alleged post-traumatic stress disorder will return to finish his tour in Afghanistan. "My family doesn't want me to go, but I am not disobeying a command order," Spc. Jeff Hanks,...
- On This Memorial Day, Don't Forget Uninsured Veterans
A recent study released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that 1 in 10 of the 12.5 million veterans in the U.S. is currently uninsured. Those veterans are more likely to be younger, less likely to be married and are less connected to the labor...
Health News
Report says veteran suicide rate is up from 2007
Almost every hour in this country, on average, a veteran commits suicide. The Department of Veterans Affairs reported that 22 veterans per day took their own lives in 2010, up four a day from the 2007 rate. Perhaps contrary to public perception, the report said most suicides occurred among veterans over 50. It recognized Vietnam-era veterans as a risk group, as well as female veterans.
Military service members come disproportionately from rural areas. Kentucky has two army posts, Fort Knox and Fort Campbell.
(Among active service members in 2012, more died from suicide than in combat, we reported here. The Army said Friday that 325 soldiers committed suicides last year; if the tentative number is confirmed, it would be a historical high. "If that bleak total remains at 325, the toll in 2012 would have risen by 15 percent over 2011 when the Army sustained 283 suicides," NBC News reported.)
Reactions to the VA report ranged from encouragement to outrage. The VA pointed out that the daily veteran suicide rate has "remained relatively stable over the past 12 years," but the percentage of the overall national suicide rate accounted for by veteran suicide has actually decreased. Veteran suicides accounted for about one-fifth of American suicides in 2010, down from one-fourth of suicides in 1999.
The VA said that showed its programs are working, but promised to take "immediate actions." NBC reported that "the top strategy" on the VA's agenda was an already-established task force that could help suicide screening identify warning signs earlier.
Some groups were dismayed by the VA report and demanded more action. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America called for more research and collaboration. "The country should be outraged that we are allowing this tragedy to continue," IAVA found and CEO Paul Rieckhoff told NBC.
On Feb. 13, the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs will hold a hearing on veterans and mental health care. The Veterans Crisis Line -- 800-273-TALK -- is available for veterans who are concerned about their mental health. (Read more)
Military service members come disproportionately from rural areas. Kentucky has two army posts, Fort Knox and Fort Campbell.
(Among active service members in 2012, more died from suicide than in combat, we reported here. The Army said Friday that 325 soldiers committed suicides last year; if the tentative number is confirmed, it would be a historical high. "If that bleak total remains at 325, the toll in 2012 would have risen by 15 percent over 2011 when the Army sustained 283 suicides," NBC News reported.)
Reactions to the VA report ranged from encouragement to outrage. The VA pointed out that the daily veteran suicide rate has "remained relatively stable over the past 12 years," but the percentage of the overall national suicide rate accounted for by veteran suicide has actually decreased. Veteran suicides accounted for about one-fifth of American suicides in 2010, down from one-fourth of suicides in 1999.
The VA said that showed its programs are working, but promised to take "immediate actions." NBC reported that "the top strategy" on the VA's agenda was an already-established task force that could help suicide screening identify warning signs earlier.
Some groups were dismayed by the VA report and demanded more action. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America called for more research and collaboration. "The country should be outraged that we are allowing this tragedy to continue," IAVA found and CEO Paul Rieckhoff told NBC.
On Feb. 13, the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs will hold a hearing on veterans and mental health care. The Veterans Crisis Line -- 800-273-TALK -- is available for veterans who are concerned about their mental health. (Read more)
- Kentucky's Suicide Rate Is Above The National Average; Experts Say We Need To Ignore The Stigma And Become Educated About It
Kentucky's suicide rate is higher than the national average, and an expert says we must create an open dialogue about it and provide more education if we want this rate to decrease, Kat Russell reports for The Paducah Sun. "People commit suicide when...
- Fort Campbell Works To Address Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Common Ailment Of Afghanistan-iraq Veterans
Research shows almost 14 percent of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afganistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and as an estimated 2 million veterans are coming home, Fort Campbell has quickly acted by reaching out to the medical...
- State Task Force Will Look At Substance Abuse, Mental Health Care For Military Members, Veterans And Families
To help the increasing number of veterans and military service personnel who are needing treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues in Kentucky, a task force has been assembled to come up with strategies that show the most promise in providing...
- Fort Campbell Soldier Who Went Awol, And Says His Kentucky Ptsd Treatment Was Inadequate, Is Set To Return To Afghanistan
A Fort Campbell-based soldier who went absent without leave because of alleged post-traumatic stress disorder will return to finish his tour in Afghanistan. "My family doesn't want me to go, but I am not disobeying a command order," Spc. Jeff Hanks,...
- On This Memorial Day, Don't Forget Uninsured Veterans
A recent study released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that 1 in 10 of the 12.5 million veterans in the U.S. is currently uninsured. Those veterans are more likely to be younger, less likely to be married and are less connected to the labor...