PTSD:Suicides and stress, the world is watching

Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, attempted suicide again, but failed and is still here. Thank God!

US military suicides reach record level


Roxanne Escobales and agencies
Friday February 1, 2008
The Guardian


The suicide rate among US soldiers has reached its highest level since records began almost 30 years ago. Last year, 121 active members of the army took their own lives, up 20% on the previous year. Thirty-four of last year's deaths were in Iraq, compared with 27 in 2006.
Also on the rise are attempted suicides and self-harm. The number of US soldiers who tried but failed to kill themselves or who deliberately injured themselves rose to 2,100 in 2007, up from 500 in 2002.
go here for the rest
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2250400,00.html

When the Washington Post reported on the suicides and the attempted suicides of US forces, the world was watching as they have since the beginning of deaths following the Vietnam War. The entire world has been watching and waiting for America to take this seriously and take action. While our healthcare as a whole is sorely lacking, our doctors, scientist and psychologists have been leading the way in many treatments. So why not this one?

While the military has been focusing on "winning" the "war" which is really two occupations producing higher and higher deaths, they fail miserably at focusing on what these two occupations are doing to the US forces they sent to risk their lives. In the silent suffering of the American military families, we also fail to see how this is all effecting them. Has anyone tracked how many divorces or suicides or suicide attempts they have made since this began?

Why "silent suffering" term is used? Because no one is paying attention to them. They are key to the survival and healing of the wounded when they come home. They are key to the families they are raising. Why are they forgotten?

When my husband came home from Vietnam, his father, a WWII veteran, told him to get over it. His mother opted to ignore it. By the time we met, he had been home for 10 years. The signs of PTSD were there to the point where my father, a Korean War veteran, said Jack had shell shock. The hunt for the invisible killer inside of him began. What I didn't know was that Jack had mild PTSD to the point where he could function enough to go to work, be sociable enough that he was willing to enter into movies and clubs, but not enough to stay. He was able to talk a lot more to me, but still had a hard time talking to others. His nightmares, flashbacks and physical symptoms left him drained but not to the point where he was unable to do things during the day. I accepted the oddities of him as "quirks" finding some of them cute. Even with all of this the day we got married 23 years ago, I married my best friend.

It was not until a secondary stressor hit that our world took a nosedive and I was suddenly married to a man I no longer knew.

This is happening all across the country today. Some come home with PTSD in a mild form and function but their family members can see the changes. They can see the times when the veteran has a flashback but if they don't know what it is, the connection between combat and the zone out are not made. They can see the odd reactions to sudden moves or noises, they can become shocked with the mood swings and wonder what they did to set it off. They notice it all but if they don't know what they are witnessing first hand, they are helpless to do anything about it.

It is damn near impossible to get them to go for help. Even knowing what I did back then it took years to get Jack to go for help. They go into a denial stage where they know there is something wrong with them but refuse to come to the conclusion they need help to get back to "normal" and seek to deal with it in their own way. They turn to self-medicating to kill off feelings they don't want to feel.

This is only the PTSD part of all of this. The families need support to go through the stress of separations and being a single parent over and over again. They have to deal with the loneliness as well as the constant worry while their spouse is deployed, risking their lives and facing death or serious wounds. This adds to the stress of the families. When the spouse, son or daughter comes home, there is a euphoria epidemic taking over the entire family. The relief that they returned covers the problems that are there. Then they enter into their own state of denial that with time, they will get over what they went through and everything will go back to normal. The family cannot see that there is nothing normal about combat.

There needs to be a nation wide emergency alert to address all the issues the soldiers face along with their families. We know the redeployments increase the risk of PTSD and increase the pressure on the families at home. We know financial problems associated with the Reservists and Guardsmen make all of this worse for them. We know that early intervention for PTSD works best. We also know that medications need to be monitored and there has to be therapy included in on addressing PTSD for it to work. We know all of this because of our researchers but we do none of it. When will this nation take the lead on this? The rest of the world is watching our troops and their families suffer. Do we really want to be considered leaders in needless suffering instead of healing?

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside attempts suicide again

Soldier Suicide Attempts Skyrocket
CBS News And Washington Post: Staggering New Army Numbers Show Serious Problem
Comments 389


WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2008

Just one who is part of a staggering rise in suicide attempts by soldiers, Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside was admitted to the psychiatric lockdown ward at Walter Reed Army Medical center after trying to kill herself earlier this week. She had already been nearly court-marshalled for an earlier suicide attempt.

A Soldier's Cry For Help
CBS News first broke the story of the growing epidemic of suicides among army personnel last November. David Martin has one soldier's harrowing story and her struggle to get help. Share/Embed
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Suicide Epidemic Among Veterans
VA Struggles With Vets' Mental Health
(CBS) CBS News broke the story of the epidemic of suicides and attempted suicides among veterans in November. And tonight, new Army figures illustrate how serious the problem has become among active military servicemembers. It's part of an exclusive report that will appear in Thursday's Washington Post and on washingtonpost.com. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin has one soldier's harrowing story - and her struggle to get help.

Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside was admitted to the psychiatric lockdown ward at Walter Reed Army Medical center after trying to kill herself earlier this week, Martin reports. "She took two weeks worth of medicines - four different medications... and she took them all at once," her father, Tom Whiteside, said. He holds a note she left, reading in part: "I'm very disappointed with the Army." He says her suicide attempt was brought on by the stress of waiting to find out if she would be court-martialed for an earlier attempt to kill herself. "It became so distressing to my daughter, it just drove her over the edge and, um, she attempted to take her own life," Whiteside said. Lt. Whiteside is the latest in the epidemic of attempted suicides and self-injuries by soldiers.
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WHAT THE HELL ARE WE PUTTING THEM THROUGH AND WHY ARE WE PUTTING THEM THROUGH HELL AT ALL?

Prosecute Army For Dereliction Of Duty

I was thinking about some of the stories I've posted this year and this was one of the ones that made me think of how many others like 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside there are. What if Dana Priest and Anne Hull didn't report on what she was going through? What would have happened to Whiteside if the Army got away with just prosecuting her?

Update on Veteran Army 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside
Army 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, who was recently profiled by Post reporters Dana Priest and Anne Hull, has received good news: an Army hearing officer has recommended that she should not face a court-martial for attempting suicide and endangering another soldier while in Iraq. Whiteside, who is undergoing psychiatric treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, should be allowed "to end her military service and receive the benefits that she will desperately need for the remainder of her life," said Maj. Mervin H. Steals, the officer assigned to conduct a preliminary hearing. His decision will be passed along to an officer who has jurisdiction over the matter and can accept or reject the recommendation. Whiteside suffered a mental breakdown earlier this year, waving a gun and threatening others before she fired a shot into her stomach. She faces the possibility of life in prison if she is tried and convicted. Her story was part of the Post's ongoing coverage of the treatment of veterans at Walter Reed.

By The Editors December 11, 2007; 10:00 AM ET Walter Reed Previous: Responding to a Critic Next: Meet the Reporters and Editors

click post title for the rest of this

Dana Priest and Anne Hull have done a great service to the men and women who risk their lives everyday and for all veterans who were ignored by the media before. They've done it time and time again. In each case we really need to wonder what would have been done or allowed to go on if they didn't bother?

Would Walter Reed hospital still be treating the wounded as if they were lucky to be there at all in squalor? Would the DOD still be allowed to ignore the suffering of thousands of veterans, forced out under "personality disorders" unable to be compensated for their wounds or support themselves or their families? Would the VA get away with ignoring the problem of suicides reaching epidemic proportions doing absolutely nothing to open clinics and veterans centers, hiring more psychologist and therapists as well as claims processors? Not that they have even come close to fulfilling those needs still.

Without reporters and families standing up to say this is all wrong, nothing would be fixed at all. We owe them our willingness to fight for all of them, to stand up and say "you can't get away with treating our troops like this" to the Army. As a matter of fact it needs to be said to the Marines, the Navy, the Air Force and the National Guards as well. It is dereliction of duty to leave any of these wounded behind and without their wounds being tended to.

As the brass contemplates any more charges against them they should wonder what they did that caused it to happen because it begins and ends with them. kc

Sammantha Owen-Ewing, battle with PTSD lost

From IVAW

I regret to bring you the sad news of the death of one of our IVAW members, Sammantha Owen-Ewing.

Last Monday, November 26, Sammantha Owen-Ewing, one of IVAW's newest members, the wife of my friend Scott, and a former Army medic like me, committed suicide in her Rhode Island home. Sammantha was only 20 years old, and in that short time had been an Army medic training to become a nurse while stationed at Walter Reed, then became a patient herself in Walter Reed's mental health ward. In June, she married Scott Ewing, also an IVAW member, and was discharged from the Army. Despite an uphill battle to receive care from the VA, things seemed to be looking up; she was getting settled into life in Rhode Island, planned to continue her medical career, and was becoming active in Iraq Veterans Against the War. Although most of us were never fortunate enough to know Sammantha, she was one of us and we mourn her passing.

It is impossible to sum up the life of a person, their personality and how much they meant to the people who loved them, in a few short lines. In her obituary, Sammantha was described as "sweet, thoughtful, and loving. She brought joy to the lives of those around her." I'm sorry I will never meet Sammantha and my deepest condolences go out to her family. I know that many IVAW members have suffered through depression, PTSD, and other forms of internal anguish, and many of us still deal with these things on a daily basis.

IVAW has set up a memorial fund on behalf of Sammantha Owen-Ewing to help her family offset her funeral costs. We will be accepting donations through the end of December, if you'd like to make a donation, go to www.ivaw.org/memorialfund

Suicide is a very real threat, especially for veterans. A recent CBS news investigation found that in 2005, veterans were twice as likely to commit suicide as non-vets, with 120 veteran suicides each week. Those of us who are between the ages of 20-24 have the highest rate of suicides, between 2 – 4 times higher than our civilian peers. For many veterans, the fighting doesn't end once we return from a war zone or get discharged from the military. If you are a veteran, or have a loved one who is, please be aware of the following resources that can offer help to those suffering from PTSD, depression, and other forms of mental suffering.

The Wounded Warrior Call-Center 1-877-487-6299 – This is a hotline for injured, wounded, or ill former and current Marines, Sailors and their family members. They offer information, resources, and advocacy for men and women suffering from either physical or psychological wounds.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) – By calling and pressing "1" you will be connected with round-the-clock access to mental health professionals who focus solely on helping veterans.

SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) www.save.org – This non-profit's mission is to prevent suicide through public awareness and education, reduce stigma, and serve as a resource for those touched by suicide.

Vets 4 Vets, (520) 319-5500, www.vets4vets.us – Vets 4 Vets is a peer support group for recent veterans. In weekend workshops and local groups, veterans talk and listen to each other to help heal from negative wartime and military experiences. Contact them to find out about upcoming workshops.

National Veterans Foundation, 1-888-777-4443, www.nvf.org – This non-profit, non-governmental organization gives assistance, information and resources to veterans from all military branches.
Peace,
Kelly Dougherty
Former Sergeant, Army National Guard
Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War
P.S. Cards may be sent to Scott Ewing c/o IVAW:
IVAW
PO Box 8296
Philadelphia, PA 19101

When I posted her obituary, I had no idea which side of the occupation of Iraq she stood on. PTSD does not care either. It does not pick sides. It picks humans. It doesn't care if you are a Marine or a soldier, a sailor or weekend warrior and it does not even care if you a friendly or enemy. All it cares about is that you are a human exposed to trauma.

http://woundedtimes.blogspot.com/2007/12/sammantha-arlene-owen-ewing-after.html

I came across her story when I was reading about Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, the woman being tried for a failed suicide attempt.

Army charges Iraq vet over self-inflicted gun wound
Despite years of exemplary service, Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, could face prison over a mental breakdown in Iraq.
http://woundedtimes.blogspot.com/2007/12/army-to-soldier-go-to-jail-if-you-try.html

Mrs. Ewing's story was in the report. Whiteside had traveled to her funeral when the reporter was with her. There were pictures of the funeral along with a photo of Whiteside's father serving as a pallbearer. He must have been thinking that had it not been for the grace of God, his daughter would have ended the same way too. For Whiteside, after surviving combat trauma, she nearly suffered for the wounds she brought back home. How many more can we tolerate dying because of this enemy no one can see but them?

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Editorial - The Case of Lt. Whiteside

Editorial - The Case of Lt. Whiteside
Army officials are distressed that personal details about the health of 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside have been made public. We bet: They look ridiculous in their cruel pursuit of legal charges against a woman injured in service to her country. This is not an isolated case of insensitivity. The abuse of Lt. Whiteside raises questions about how far the military has really come in its treatment of mental health problems.

Trauma Mama's suicide attempt puts PTSD on trial

Soldier's suicide attempt may put psychological battle scars on trial

By Angela Carella
Assistant City Editor

Published December 6 2007


STAMFORD - The case of 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside is becoming a bellwether for how the U.S. Army handles soldiers who are psychologically injured in Iraq and other battlefields.

Whiteside, a 25-year-old reservist who spent part of her childhood in Stamford, had six years of exemplary service until a year ago, when she was a platoon leader in the 329th Medical Company, running an ambulance service at a detainee prison near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.


Now Whiteside is waiting to hear whether she will be tried for attempted suicide and endangering the life of another soldier. If convicted, she could spend the rest of her life in prison. A decision is expected this week.Roger Crossland of Fairfield is a retired Navy officer who knew the Whitesides when they lived on Woodridge Drive South off Long Ridge Road in Stamford for four years until 1991. Crossland said he wants people to know the story of Elizabeth Whiteside."It seems to me she should get a medal, not a court martial," he said.

According to reports from the Washington Post, Whiteside supervised nine medics on the night shift who transported injured U.S. troops and Iraqis around the prison, which has a hospital. Detainees in the prison have included Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Majeed - "Chemical Ali" - and suspected terrorists, the Post reported.

Whiteside, nicknamed Trauma Mama by her soldiers, ate one meal a day, slept four hours twice a day, and worked seven days a week. On Dec. 30, Saddam was taken from his cell to be executed and, the following day, thousands of detainees rioted and had to be subdued with rubber bullets and tear gas.
click post title for the rest

Message from DOD to soldiers, get wounded and instead of having your wound treated, you are put on trial! Sometimes it is a clear trial. Most of the time it is trial by the DOD and the VA to prove you deserve to have your combat wounds taken care of.