Lingering casualties of war, PTSD and suicides

Lingering casualties of war
BY JOSEPH KOHUT
TIMES-SHAMROCK WRITER
Published: August 20, 2012

Even before his twin brother committed suicide in December 2010, former Army Staff Sgt. Earl Granville never liked the holidays.

While getting ready for a party at his girlfriend's workplace, Earl received a call from his mother telling him the news, Staff Sgt. Joseph Granville was dead by his own hand.

It hit him like a brick, throwing him to the floor in a flurry of shock and disbelief and, while the event deepened his aversion to the holiday season, he said the event brought his family closer than ever before.

"We still exchanged gifts but we were more glad to be with each other than ever before," Earl said.

Earl Granville, believed Joe had a "touch" of post-traumatic-stress disorder, a condition behind a deadly epidemic sweeping the nation.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that one veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes.

Iraq and Afghanistan veteran suicides represent 20 percent of total suicides in the United States, though only one percent of Americans have served in either war.

The Department of Defense has made it a top priority to identify and prevent suicides, but the numbers are stark.

Suicides among active-duty servicemen and women increased by 87 percent from 2001 to 2011, the Department of Defense reports.

Within the Army alone, there has been a more than 200 percent increase in the 10-year period, from 52 suicides in 2001 to 165 in 2011. In the first seven months of this year, the Army reported there have been 66 confirmed active-duty suicides, with 50 remaining under investigation.

Dr. John McGrail, a former Coast Guard officer and clinical hypno-therapist, said military culture tends to impede motivation to receive help. He said soldiers expect themselves to "suck it up" when troubled and avoid help, believing it to be a sign of weakness.

"Given our society's and the military's culture and traditional attitude toward seeking help for mental heath issues, many of these men and women are both afraid to seek help, and are surrounded by people back home that simply cannot comprehend what it is they are going through," Dr. McGrail said.

"Eventually it becomes such a burden that they see no alternative but to end their own lives."
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