Causes of Suicide Among Soldiers

TBI is another area I have researched. Currently, the Veterans Administration (VA) has treated about 100,000 troops as well as providing care, assistance, or counseling for over another 500,000 troops1. The number of veterans is constantly increasing from Viet Nam including Iraq and Afghanistan.

TBI does not necessarily happen immediately after the encounter. It can take years to become active in this mental disorder. The United States (U.S.) has been involved in combat operations since our revolution war. In these wars, there have been a tremendous number of causalities for the price of freedom. Besides these combat causalities, many of the survivors have suffered from what we call today as TBI.

Along with these mental issues, some have gone as far as committing suicide. Today there is 22 military personnel committing Suicide every day2 Publisher International Literature on Traumatic stresses using the PILOTS, MEDLINE, or PsycLIT models. At this point, each document was submitted to the team members for final comments. Many comments came back using a standardized method and using the rating system.

Every comment for the guidelines was discussed in open meetings to hopefully generate additional questions and ideas.

Once everyone in the group agreed what the clinician’s need is entered in the treatment plan and were put into use by various clinics.

1.  Hoge C. W, McGurk D, Thomas JL, Cox AL, Engel CC, Castro CA.
2.  Defense of Defense (DoD), 2000 and 2011, Report to Congress Journal of Medicine.. 2008;358(5):453–463. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa072972

Thomas undertook a very large project comparing several sources of data for those having been diagnosed with TBI or both1 It is estimated that over 2 million military personnel have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2000 and 2011. The VHA as spent $2 billion (in 2011 dollars) in the fiscal year 2011 and the cost keeps rising.

The VHA has also spent over $48 billion dollars for a combined Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars or conflicts. There have been an estimated number of Mild traumatic brain injury in U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq.

TBI cases of 212,742 between 2000 and 2011 was reported by the Defense of Defense (DoD).

Veteran’s Brain Injury Center within the DoD has categorized the TBI cases as ranked as mild, moderate, or severe.

Through research, the Viet Nam war saw the documentation for TBI:

1.  About 58,000 American servicemen died in Viet Nam
2.  More than 64,000 Viet Nam vets have committed Suicide
3.  Over 300,000 military people were wounded with 75 percent being severely disabled.
4.  Since the war, more than 180,000 Viet Nam vets have been arrested. About 58,000 American servicemen died in Viet Nam.1

•  reported by the Defense of Defense (DoD)

1.  More than 64,000 Viet Nam vets have committed Suicide.1
2.  Over 300,000 military people were wounded with 75 percent severely disabled.
3.  Since the war, more than 500,000 Viet Nam vets have been arrested with about 180,000 incarcerated.
4.  The divorce rate of Viet Nam vets is estimated to be 90%4
5.  Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch and the Theater Medical Data is about 90%,
6.  More than 700,000 Viet Nam vets suffer from emotional problems.4
7. As noted through my research, that there are several different events that have a life-threatening situation. Over the past couple of decades there has been a steady increase in military personnel reporting that they have PTSD:
8.  More than 700,000 Viet Nam vets suffer from emotional problems.
9.  Currently, there is not a cure for PTSD/TBI. Provide treatment allowing the soldier to live a quality life based on their PTSD or TBI5.. Due to the number of PTSD and TBI cases, there has been a lot of research performed on these mental diseases, however, we are only at the beginning. The Rand Report was submitted to the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for their use of assessing the numbers of, and PTSD and TBI cases.
10.  Defense of Defense (DoD), 2000 and 2011, Report to Congress

The VHA has identified 163, head injury, this usually results in an early and timely manner of detection of TBI. Admitting that these numbers are very high and concerning, however, these numbers do not include from 2012 to present.

The VHA has identified 163,181 cases as mild TBI, which are also referred to as a concussion. Based on the obvious and its visible nature of the head injury, it usually results in an early and timely manner of detection. Admitting that these numbers are very high and concerning, however, these numbers do not include data from 2012 to present data.6 In support, the Board of Directors of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies age (BDISTS), (1997) agrees with the researchers’ methods.

Thus far, we have only started to uncover underlying principles and the nature of one’s behavior of those having TBI. This obsession with how the human works, stretches back over the past hundred thousand years. Since around the 1880s and in order to better understand the behavior of the brain it was identified through the science of psychology.

Over the past few decades, research has learned more about how the brain functions. TBI victims go through various aggressive structures that produce chemical changes in how the brain works.

• Rand Report Afghanistan and Iraq Rand Report (2007)
• Rand report to the Department of Defense (DoD), Board of Directors of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (BDISTS), (1997).

Through his works, Sigmund Freud developed an understanding of the brain through his model, Heart (2000). Freud later developed the first integrated model called the “comprehensive model of human behavior.

In the 70s and ’80s, a paradigmatic change occurred through uses involving the brain. This led to the cognitive behavioral therapy model. War is a very costly endeavor in more ways than we have ever thought. One of the costlier causalities is that military personnel who have and will keep living with a lesser quality of life due to PTSD. In addition, the government has recently classified TBI as a psychiatric disorder that is generated by a traumatic event or an injury to the head. The severity of an event that guides one to have TBI creates a pathway for a traumatic event to occur.

TBI is a major problem mostly seen in combat-related situations. TBI is also one of the common issues causing, death, disability, and the financial cost to our public.

Despite most people’s thoughts, TBI research has shown that all neurological damage does not actually occur now for those persons who have experienced a head injury. This can happen to an person with either a closed or penetrating head injury. In fact, all neurological damage does not occur.

TBI evolves over the next several hours or days after the injury. The results of various research have not provided a cure; however, they have helped develop additional theories, new instruments, treatments, and pharmaceuticals. TBI is still not a curable mental health condition.

• Rand report to the Department of Defense (DoD), Board of Directors of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (BDISTS), (1997).

As a result of the research efforts, “there has been a dramatic increase in clinical practice guidelines with subsequent reports showing improvement in patient care and a reduction in medical time and cost”, Fisher (1982). The ‘TBI study was intensified after a national study documented considerable variability in the management of patients with severe TBI, (Fisher, 1982)..

The cost of treatment for those having TBI is between 25 to 30 billion dollars (in 2011 dollars). However, there have been some advancements in clinical success.7 In the 1950”s, many TBI patients died from the medication regiment while treating the patients. Advancements in the medication regiments have decreased the number of deaths in TBI patients due to their medication regiments.

Those patients suffering from a TBI event need additional research for brain injuries as conducted, the patients went through a spontaneous recovery phase. This research noted that there is nothing else the Clinicians could do to minimize the TBI symptoms and models. Therefore, any treatment advances for the patient stopped or they stayed on the original medication treatment plan. Also, in the 1950s, many of the TBI patients died due to the initial medical treatment plans. Clinicians soon realized that a brain injury is in a permanent condition. Some of the clinicians observed that the brain injury was in a permanent condition, the clinicians stopped treatment.

•  Rand report to the Department of Defense (DoD), Board of Directors of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (BDISTS), (1997).

TBI (continued) through the improvement of exploring additional research and technology improvements, such as CT scans and MRIs, etc. Using the data obtained from these advancements resulted in improved treatment plans.

Summary

As noted in my research, there are several different events that have a life-threatening issue. Over the past couple of decades, there has been a steady increase in military personnel reporting that they have TBI. To date, there is not a cure for PTSD or TBI. Different treatments have some effect on military personnel who were evaluated; however, this is only a little help and is focused on having the patient being able to live with the ability to handle people and crowds.

 

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