Soldiers Don’t Trust the Military to Help with Suicide

By John M Grohol PsyD

From the “Not really surprising” file… Returning soldiers and military veterans don’t really hold much hope or trust in the military to help them with their mental health needs — especially suicidal thoughts — according to a new report.
And why would they? The military is their employer. Would you feel comfortable talking to your bosses about all of your mental health issues? And not just mild stuff either, this is the serious depression, “I want to kill myself” stuff.
Most of us would be extremely uncomfortable with such a conversation. We would be even more uncomfortable with such a conversation knowing it is being recorded in our work record, and will follow us around for the rest of our professional career.
This is exactly what happens to soldiers and officers in the U.S. military.
Read on to see the preliminary results of the report…

In 2009, more soldiers committed suicide than during any previous period on record. This, despite being ordered earlier in 2009 not to commit suicide (yes, we are not making that up). 2010 is shaping up to top 2009 in terms of soldiers who commit suicide, with no end in sight to the upward trend.
Being in the military and having to deal with combat situations is extremely stressful. Suicide, a common symptom of severe depression, goes undiagnosed amongst soldiers largely because of stigma and repercussions that occur if you admit any sign of weakness to those in command (because, ultimately, it will reflect poorly on the commander’s record).
Colonel John Bradley is the chief of psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington and is the lead author of the report:

Bradley said a team of experts spent a year interviewing troops who had attempted suicide, family members and others for the report and plan. [...]
Each branch of the services — the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines — rushed to create a suicide prevention program, but there was no coordination. The report recommends that the defense secretary’s office take over coordination of suicide prevention efforts.
On-the-ground prevention training often failed because those running the sessions did not understand their importance, Bradley said.
“They are mocked and they are probably harmful,” he said.

Is it any wonder soldiers can’t trust the same military to help them? There are nearly always repercussions for seeking out mental health services treatment.

And troops who seek mental health services can lose their security clearances, their weapons and can be taken away from duties vital to their careers, Hoge and Bradley said.
When they return home from war, the skills that kept them alive under fire make them dysfunctional in civilian society, Hoge said.
“There are messages that the warrior gets when they back here that they are crazy,” he said.
In addition, all the services are overstretched, the report said. “The force is out of balance,” Bradley said.
“The force is fatigued. Anyone who doesn’t believe that has their eyes closed

Strong words indeed.
The real question is — Will anyone listen? Will anything ever change??
Read the preliminary recommendations: Recommendations of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces
Read the news article: Military suicide prevention efforts fail: report




To Get HUNDREDS of Instant Blog Subscribers Right Now... CLICK HERE!

The Roller Coaster

When you resist what's at every turn, your whole being becomes tense and anxiety is your close companion.


Trying to maintain control in this life is a bit like trying to maintain control on a roller coaster. The ride has its own logic and is going to go its own way, regardless of how tightly you grip the bar. There is a thrill and a power in simply surrendering to the ride and fully feeling the ups and downs of it, letting the curves take you rather than fighting them. When you fight the ride, resisting what’s happening at every turn, your whole being becomes tense and anxiety is your close companion. When you go with the ride, accepting what you cannot control, freedom and joy will inevitably arise.

As with so many seemingly simple things in life, it is not always easy to let go, even of the things we know we can’t control. Most of us feel a great discomfort with the givens of this life, one of which is the fact that much of the time we have no control over what happens. Sometimes this awareness comes only when we have a stark encounter with this fact, and all our attempts to be in control are revealed to be unnecessary burdens. We can also cultivate this awareness in ourselves gently, by simply making surrender a daily practice. At the end of our meditation, we might bow, saying, “I surrender to this life.” This simple mantra can be repeated as necessary throughout the day, when we find ourselves metaphorically gripping the safety bar.

We can give in to our fear and anxiety, or we can surrender to this great mystery with courage. When we see people on a roller coaster, we see that there are those with their faces tight with fear and then there are those that smile broadly, with their hands in the air, carried through the ride on a wave of freedom and joy. This powerful image reminds us that often the only control we have is choosing how we are going to respond to the ride

To Get HUNDREDS of Instant Blog Subscribers Right Now... CLICK HERE!

The Art Of War, Life And Beyond » Wudang Lao Jun Qigong (MultiMedia)

The Art Of War, Life And Beyond » Wudang Lao Jun Qigong (MultiMedia)

This Is PTSD

To Get HUNDREDS of Instant Blog Subscribers Right Now... CLICK HERE!


Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the result of a severe and extraordinary stressor in the person's life that may be environmental (a large fire, hurricane), war, or violent crime (armed robbery, child abuse, rape), or the witnessing of violent incidents. Symptoms of PTSD are categorized as such not before the period of three months after the traumatic event. Before that time symptoms may fall into the classification of Acute Stress Disorder. People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult. PTSD symptoms seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately initiated by another person, as in a mugging or a kidnapping. Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. Flashbacks may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by ordinary occurrences, such as a door slamming or a car backfiring on the street. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.

Italian film documents trauma of Iraq war veterans

By SHERI JENNINGS, Associated Press Writer Sheri Jennings, Associated Press Writer – Tue Sep 7, 4:02 pm ET

VENICE, Italy – A new documentary being shown out of competition at the Venice Film Festival explores the trauma of three U.S. war veterans who served in Iraq and how the military handled their cases.
"Ward 54," so named for the psychiatric wing of the U.S. military's Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, also deals with the rise in military suicides following Iraq duty.
The film opens with the case of Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith, whose job was to photograph Iraqi war victims to identify them. Goldsmith recounts how serving his country had always been his life's dream, but it turned into a nightmare when told he would be deployed again to Iraq.
"For over a year I knew something inside me wasn't right. I was drinking close to a gallon of vodka every weekend and starting fights," Goldsmith recalled Tuesday in Venice, where "Ward 54" had been screened the previous night.
When told he had to go back to Iraq for duty, Goldsmith recalled: "I said I can't go back to Iraq. I wasn't afraid of Iraq, but knew I couldn't return."
He said his colonel gave him three choices: "'One, you can suck it up and go back. Two, you can go AWOL and live your life as a felon and three, you can kill yourself.'"
He attempted suicide on Memorial Day 2007.
"I was absolutely disgusted with the treatment from the military when I was trying to get help," he said from Venice's Excelsior Hotel, where he was doing media interviews alongside Italian director Monica Maggioni.
Last month, a Congressionally-ordered report found historically high rates of suicides in the U.S. military, saying more than 1,100 members of the armed forces had killed themselves from 2005 to 2009 and that suicides are rising again this year.
The sharpest increases were in the Army and Marine Corps, the services most stretched by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Goldsmith credits therapy but also his work as an activist for helping him deal with the post-traumatic stress disorder he has suffered following his Iraq service. He speaks at U.S. colleges to raise awareness of PTSD and says he often hears from vets struggling with the same issues.
"The experience I went through and my story, it is me and it defines me," he said. "It used to be a horrific negative thing, and I managed to turn it into a positive thing."
Director Maggioni, a foreign correspondent for Italy's state-run RAI television, said her own combat coverage during the Iraq invasion informed her sympathies for soldiers suffering from PTSD.
"I understand perfectly what they go through," she said, noting that she was the only Italian reporter embedded with the U.S. military during the 2003 invasion. "From that moment on I had a particular interest in all issues related to the war."
While filming the documentary has helped Goldsmith recover, he still has some unfinished business with the U.S. military: He has been denied an honorable discharge because of his suicide attempt.
"I appealed for an honorable discharge, and on the anniversary of my suicide attempt that got turned down. I need to start an entirely new case," he said.

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way.. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams.

There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him. 

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. 

"Jack, did you hear me?" 

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you.. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said. 

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him. 

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said. 

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said 

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said. 

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away. 

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. 

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.. 

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked. 

"The box is gone," he said 

"What box?" Mom asked. 

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said. 

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. 

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom." 

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. 

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. 

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: 

"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser." 

"The thing he valued most was...my time" 

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked. 

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said. 

"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!" 

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away," 

Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true. 

1. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way. 

2 A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you. 

3 Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep. 

4.. You mean the world to someone.. 

5. If not for you, someone may not be living. 

6. You are special and unique. 

7. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better. 

8. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it. 

9. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world. 

10. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you. 

11.. Always remember the compliments you received... Forget about the rude remarks. 

12 . Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy . 

13. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great. 

Send this letter to all the people you care about, if you do so, you will certainly brighten someone's day and might change their perspective on life...for the better. 

To everyone who reads this

 

“Thanks for your time”