77,000 calls in one year to VA suicide hotlines

Suicide hot line got calls from 22000 veterans
The Associated Press
By KATHARINE EUPHRAT – 8 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 22,000 veterans have sought help from a special suicide hot line in its first year, and 1,221 suicides have been averted, the government says.

According to a recent RAND Corp. study, roughly one in five soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan displays symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, putting them at a higher risk for suicide. Researchers at Portland State University found that male veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide than men who are not veterans.

This month, a former Army medic, Joseph Dwyer, who was shown in a Military Times photograph running through a battle zone carrying an Iraqi boy, died of an accidental overdose after struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder for almost five years.

Janet Kemp, national suicide prevention coordinator for the Veterans Affairs Department, said the hot line is in place to help prevent deaths such as Dwyer's. "We just want them to know there's other options and people do care about them, and we can help them make a difference in their lives," she said in an interview.

The VA teamed up with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to launch the hot line last July after years of criticism that the VA wasn't doing enough to help wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In April, two veterans groups sued the VA, citing long delays for processing applications and other problems in treatment for veterans at risk for suicide. The department has spent $2.9 million on the hot line thus far.

The hot line receives up to 250 calls per day — double the average number calling when it began. Kemp said callers are divided evenly between veterans from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars. Richard McKeon, public health adviser for SAMHSA, said 10 to 20 of the 1,575 calls received each week have to be rerouted to high-volume backup call centers throughout the country.

The veterans hot line, which is linked to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, received 55,000 callers in its first year, including both veterans and people who are concerned about them, according to figures being released Monday. One-third of the 40 specially trained counselors are veterans themselves.

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38 Confirmed suicides with 12 more suspected

So far this year, the trend is comparable to last year, said Lt. Col. Thomas E. Languirand, head of command policies and programs.

As of last week, there had been 38 confirmed suicides this year and 12 more deaths that are suspected suicides but still under investigation, he said.

June 11, Lawsuit Update: 43,000 Veterans Call VA Suicide Hotline Set Up in Response to Lawsuit

Julie Sherwood


Daily Messenger

Jun 11, 2008


June 10, 2008, Canandaigua, NY - U.S. Army soldiers committed suicide in 2007 at the highest rate on record, and the toll is climbing this year as long war deployments stretch on.

At the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, the national suicide-prevention hotline had fielded 43,294 calls as of April 30. Of those calls, 885 resulted in a rescue, the VA reported.

When suicidal thoughts include specifics and indicate an immediate danger, emergency medical personnel are dispatched, said Lynn Abaide, suicide prevention coordinator for the Canandaigua VA and its Rochester outpatient clinic.

“We know we need to intervene now,” she said of the rescues. “It’s a team effort.”

All veterans and their families who turn to the hotline receive ongoing help, explained Abaide. “We guide these folks into treatment.”

About half the calls that come to the hotline are from veterans themselves, she said, while the other half tend to be family members and loved ones.

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http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/10352

Veterans Suicide Hotline Still Telling Them To Wait?

I found the following shocking account on Soldiers Perspective site. I was stunned to learn that when veterans call the suicide hotline, they are not treated immediately. This veteran called and was told to wait until the following Monday. Then he had to call back several times. What good is a suicide hotline when they are told they have to wait for someone to get back to them?

From Soldiers Perspective

My Son, PTSD & the VA
February 16th, 2008 by White Rose

...........Then last weekend, Kenny called me, crying his eyes out. "Mom, I'm tired. I'm tired of hurting, I'm tired of life, I tired of everything." he said. I couldn't calm him down. He didn't want the pending divorce, he was tired of the problems with the PTSD and not sleeping. He wasn't eating but one meal a day and was having to force himself to do that. I understood, but then again I didn't, and I damn sure didn't know what to do for him. I have been trying to get him to go to the VA since he got out of the Army, but he just wouldn't go. He would give me one excuse after another why he couldn't or wouldn't go. From what I knew of his tour in Iraq I also didn't understand why he had PTSD. Yes, I know I have dealt with my own PTSD and do every day, but from the stories he had told me, I had seen more combat related crap that he had. I had been through more and I was coping with it. Finally he told me a story that gave me some in-site as to why he was having problems. I wont tell that story it is his to tell when he is ready.

When I got off the phone with him I called his Dad and asked him to call and talk to him. I was worried that he might hurt himself. He had told me that he wrote a very dark poem and had been thinking about suicide. I was scared!!!

A several hours later Kenny called me back. "Mom, you may not hear from me for a while after Monday. I called the VA suicide hotline and am going to the VA Monday." he said. It was all I could do to not break down and cry right there on the phone. But he didn't need to hear that so I stuffed those emotions down inside and tried to talk to him. I was in west Texas on my way back from California to the New Orleans area. I asked him if he wanted me to take him to the VA Monday morning. I was worried about leaving him alone. I knew he was staying with friends, but I wanted to make sure someone was watching him all the time. He said, "yeah" and I called my dispatcher. I explained what was going on and that I needed to go to Temple. They told me to go and 3 hours later I was hugging my son and fighting my tears. The hug seemed like it went on forever, but he just didn't want to let me go and I was not going to pull away.

..........We got a hotel room and talked. Monday morning we waited for the lady that the hotline said would call him. When 0900 rolled around and we had not heard from anyone, he called the number the hotline gave him. She didn't answer and he left a message. We kept waiting. Then he called the VA suicide hotline again. They told him that the psychologist had 24 hours to call him and to please be patient. I lost it! I was angry! How can they ask someone that is thinking about killing themselves to wait 24 hours t=from someone to call them back?! Yes he was with friends when he called them the day before, but that didn't mean that he could not have gone ahead and done it if he wanted to. I told him to call the VA directly.
http://www.soldiersperspective.us/2008/02/16/my-son-ptsd-the-va/

This veteran did the right thing. He felt as if he just couldn't hold on anymore. He reached out to his mother for help. She acted fast and took the call seriously. His father acted fast. With all of this going on, how is it the VA suicide hotline did not?

In this case, he was still alive the following Monday when he was told he would be called back. The call didn't come and he had to call several times more. Finally someone came and he was still alive. How many others are not? How many others reach out for help, do what they are supposed to do and then end up taking their own lives because people on the other end are not? I don't blame the people who work for the VA but I do blame the fact all these years later, they are still not able to deal with countless numbers of veterans reaching the breaking point.

Can any of us still wonder why so many are taking their own lives? Can any of us really, honestly, say this is a grateful nation? How can this still be happening? Have we learned nothing?

When you call a suicide hotline in civilian life, how long does it take to get help? When you call the VA, the routing recording first says, "If this is an emergency call 9-11" and then the recording goes on to direct your call.


From the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

If you need help, please call us

Each month, the Lifeline Network serves over 45,000 callers who are in emotional distress. You can reach the Lifeline by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Although suicide prevention is our primary mission, people call the Lifeline for many reasons:
Suicidal thoughts
Abuse/violence
Information on suicide
Economic problems
Information on mental health/ illness
Sexual orientation issues
Post-disaster needs
Homelessness issues
Substance abuse/addiction
Physical illness
To help a friend or loved one
Loneliness
Relationship problems
Family problems
Who Should Call?
Anyone, but especially those who feel sad, hopeless, or suicidal
Family and friends who are concerned about a loved one who may be experiencing these feelings
Anyone interested in suicide prevention, treatment, and service referrals Details About the Lifeline
The service is free and confidential
The hotline is staffed by trained counselors
We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
We have information about support services that can help you
TTY Users
If you are a TTY user, please use our TTY number: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)
Learn the warning signs for suicide
Find out what will happen when you call
Find out what you can do to help someone you care about

Get Help
What Will Happen When I Call?

When you dial 1-800-273-TALK, your call will be routed to the nearest available crisis center in our net work. We currently have 120 centers in the net work and you will probably speak to one in your area. To find out where the nearest center is, take a look at our Crisis Center Map. Each center operates independently of the Lifeline and has its own trained staff.

When the crisis center answers your call, you will speak to an actual human being, who will listen, ask you questions, and do their best to help you.

I'm Calling for Myself

Crisis center staff will listen and talk with you. If needed, they can give you information about local community resources or services to help you after the call is over. You are always free to call 1-800-273-TALK again for followup or to check in.

I'm Calling for Somone I Care About

If you are worried that someone you know is in crisis or is thinking about suicide, our centers can help. A crisis worker might:

Give you ideas and tips about how to approach the person you're concerned about. The crisis worker can help you think about what to say to encourage your friend or loved one to seek help.
In some cases, the center can conference you together with the person you are concerned about
Some communities have mobile crisis outreach teams that can visit people in their homes. If your area has an outreach team, our center will connect you with it.

I'm Calling for Mental Health Information

You don't have to be in crisis to call. Our centers can answer general questions about mental health, depression, suicide, community health resources, and more. You also can call to find out more about suicide prevention activities in your area.

Some Facts About the Lifeline

The call is toll-free from any phone in the United States.
Our line operates all day, every day, so you can reach a crisis worker whenever you need one.
Your call is confidential, which means that the crisis counselor will make every effort to keep your identity private.
We have services in English (1-800-273-8255) and Spanish (1-888-628-9454).
We are the only federally funded national hotline network.
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help/call_detail.aspx

This is the map of the locations of the centers.

These sites are for all citizens. The question is, where are the centers for the National Guardsmen and Reservists? They come from all over the nation. Do you notice the clusters of the centers?

If the VA does not have the capabilities to deal with suicidal veterans, the national center does not either, then what are these veterans supposed to do when they reach the breaking point and need help immediately?

This is from Utah

In the Utah National Guard alone, there have been at least 5,000 deployments (some of them repeats) to Iraq, beginning in 2003, and to Afghanistan since 2001. The Utah Guard has about 5,000 soldiers, as well as 1,500 airmen who are part of the Air National Guard.

Koplin said there have been 13 veterans who are confirmed to have committed suicide in Utah since about October 2006, when the VA at the federal level began requiring individual medical centers to track suicide data. Ten of those suicides in Utah, Koplin added, were veterans over the age of 40, implying that they were probably Vietnam veterans.

The national VA wants more data so that researchers are better able to predict which veterans might be at higher risk for suicide.

Koplin said there are currently 32 veterans in Utah who have attempted suicide and are actively seeking help through the VA or private sources. Within the past six months, the VA at the federal level has put at least one suicide-prevention coordinator like Koplin in each of the nation's 150 VA medical centers.



http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20070806/ai_n19443783

These are just some of the examples of why the communities have to become educated about PTSD. There is a growing need for all service organizations, veterans groups, chaplains, religious leaders, social workers and neighbors to become involved in helping these veterans stay alive long enough to heal.

When they are suicidal, they need immediate intervention as if their lives depended on it because they do!

PTSD have you feeling like you can't live with it? Call for help that is waiting for you

VA Suicide Prevention Hotline Flooded with Calls

Joyce Kryszak

BUFFALO, NY (2007-09-17) Thousands of distressed veterans have flooded the the Veterans Affairs new suicide prevention hotline.

The VA opened the new national call center about a month ago to respond to the growing number of returning troops experiencing mental health problems. The 24 hour call center is located in Canandagua, New York but takes calls from veterans anywhere in the country.

About 4,500 people, including some non-veterans, have called the hotline for help. Of those, 100 were admitted to VA hospitals for treatment. Three of those cases were referred to Buffalo's VA Medical Center.

Michael Finegan is Director of the Center. He says they have long provided emergency mental health care at the facility. But he says the hotline adds another level of critical response.

It's estimated that roughly 50,000 returning veterans suffer from some type of combat related mental health stress.

The hotline number is 1-800-273-TALK.
Click the "listen" icon above to hear Joyce Kryszak's story now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.
© Copyright 2007, WBFO

http://publicbroadcasting.net/wbfo/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1149028&sectionID=1

This is wonderful! Think of the lives being saved because there is someone there for them! Veterans risk their lives for us, for a nation sending them into combat. It's our turn to fight for them. It shouldn't be this way. They should all have whatever they need waiting for them to help them heal their wounds, but until that day comes, we have to make sure the same government sending them, takes care of them.