Over the weekend, a friend told me about her quest to seek help for her mental health. This friend, a recent military veteran, was told by a representative at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital that she couldn’t see a doctor for two months. In the meantime, she was directed to call a suicide prevention hotline. Unless she believes her problem is serious enough for emergency services.
I was angry when she told me this. She had gone years without telling anyone that she had lingering thoughts about the world being a better place without her. It took a lot for her to reach out for help, only to be brushed aside by Veterans Affairs.
We should all be angry that this is the way our veterans are treated.
From 2005 to 2016, veteran suicide rates jumped nearly 26 percent, according to a 2016 National Suicide Data Report listed on the VA website. There were more than 6,000 veteran suicides each year from 2008 to 2016.
I’m not going to pretend to know anything about mental health or the hardships facing our military. But, from what I’ve heard from my husband and my brother, both U.S. Marines, bootcamp is designed to mentally break down a person’s self worth. Service members are then transplanted somewhere else in the country, or maybe the world, where they grow older sleeping in bunk beds.
After that sort of conditioning, transitioning back into civilian life isn’t easy.
My husband spent several years at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. In this time, other Marines became his family. Together, they counted down the days until they could leave. One by one they returned to their homes, scattered across the country. I watched as my husband realized how big of an adjustment it would be to no longer have that new family living down the hall.
For many veterans, home is different from when they left it. Their old friends may have graduated college and could be working full-time jobs. Some are married or buying homes. These friends might not be as relatable as the ones they spent their days with in the military. I could only imagine that this transition would feel very lonely.
This has been the way the military works for generations. The VA should be prepared to help the men and women who have committed their lives to their country. They deserve better.
If you or someone you know needs help,
- Dial 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 to talk to someone.
- Send a text message to 838255 to connect with a VA responder.
- Start a confidential online chat session at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.
- Take a self-check quiz at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Quiz to learn whether stress and depression might be affecting you.
- Find a VA facility near you.
- Visit MilitaryCrisisLine.net if you are an active duty Service member, Guardsman, or Reservist.
- Connect through chat, text, or TTY if you are deaf or hard of hearing.
