To stem the rise in veteran suicides, Veterans Affairs officials say a cultural shift on mental health issues is required.
While several government agencies have instituted various programs to aid veterans suffering from mental health problems, 20 veterans a day are dying from suicide. In addition to new projects and a government-wide suicide prevention task force launched in March, VA officials believe elevating the conversation to the national level may help turn the tide.
“People are afraid to even say the word ‘suicide,’ it’s scary for them to talk about it,” Dr. Lisa Kearney, acting deputy director of suicide prevention for Veterans Affairs, told the Washington Examiner.
Kearney and her colleagues believe asking the hard questions, checking in with those at risk, and even engaging in conversation are important steps toward an effective solution.
Approximately 45,000 people die from suicide every year in the United States, but the rate for veterans is 1.5 times higher than for the civilian population. The latest VA data show that both groups saw drastic increases in suicides between 2005 and 2016, with the veteran rate increasing by nearly 26% and the civilian rate by almost 21%.
Of the 20 veterans dying from suicide each day on average, only six have been cared for by the VA in some capacity. In an effort to reach the other 14, the VA wants to work more closely with the Pentagon, community groups, and faith-based organizations so veterans are aware of the services available to them. Part of the plan includes just getting the word out.
“This wave is crashing in on all of the us in the United States and globally, and we simply will not have any success in any level until … we finally have a national conversation about life,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a speech to a suicide prevention conference in Nashville last week.
In addition to spreading awareness, the VA has instituted several programs for veterans suffering from mental health problems. Its Veterans Crisis Line operates 24/7 and can assign vets to counseling services as needed. It has also launched a website, MakeTheConnection.net, where vets share personal stories about how they have coped with suicidal thoughts. Kearney said the department is coordinating with seven state and 24 city governments to provide education and awareness on what services are available to vets locally through the VA and community organizations.
Veterans Affairs leaders also want to institute a cultural shift. Wilkie noted that many veterans belong to a generation that never talked about these issues, instead repressing their mental health concerns until it was too late. It’s a significant problem, considering male veterans aged 55 and older have the highest suicide rate. Changing the negative connotations surrounding suicide is a key objective on the way toward a solution.
“The more that we normalize it out in the community, the more it normalizes the discussion within our systems, which I think is helpful,” Kearney said. “The more we talked about cancer, it became normal. And it became a thing that we all fought together in public health. That’s what we need to be doing with suicides, too.”
The VA’s new strategy comes in the wake of a string of scandals in 2014, which led to the resignation of several senior leaders, an FBI criminal investigation, and a White House inquiry. The department’s struggles continued after Trump took office in 2017, with Secretary David Shulkin being fired via tweet after less than two months on the job. Wilkie and former VA chief of staff Peter O’Rourke served as acting secretaries until Wilkie was confirmed on July 30, 2018.
Wilkie’s tenure has seen a string of veteran suicides on VA campuses, the latest occurring in the visitor’s parking lot of a medical center in North Carolina in August. Nearly 30 veterans have died from suicide on VA medical facilities in the past two years. At least some of the suicides appear to have been in protest of the infamously poor service some veterans have experienced with the VA.
Steven Pressley, 28, shot himself in the parking lot of a VA hospital in Dublin, Georgia, in April after suffering from chronic back pain for years.
“I know my son well enough to know if he did this in a VA parking lot, he did it for notice,” Michelle Wilson, Pressley’s mother, said. “Something needs to change.”
Some of the VA’s suicide prevention programs have shown promise. A study of VA emergency rooms found patients who received follow-up care after suicide attempts exhibited 45% fewer suicidal behaviors. Kearney believes that simply checking in with those at risk could yield major results, but that requires community engagement.
“I think in society today, sometimes we really look at trying to respect people’s autonomy. You can still respect people’s autonomy while also being kind [and] supportive,” she said. “If we can be proactive [in] looking after the people around us, that can be life changing.”
