In a comedic piece about euphemisms, George Carlin reminded us that what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, was called “shell shock” in World War I and “battle fatigue” in World War II and “operational exhaustion” during the Korean War. Carlin reminded us that buried under all this jargon is the pain and suffering of humanity.
In widely distributed news articles published last week, we learned that the U.S. Army believes 24 American soldiers committed suicide in January 2009. This is more than the number who were killed in combat. It’s six times the number who committed suicide in January 2008, although the Pentagon points out there were more American soldier suicides in 2008 than any year since the Pentagon began tracking the suicide rate some 28 years ago.
The American Association of Suicidology says suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among young people ages 15-24, and is the 11th leading cause of death overall.
Through a network of more than 130 crisis centers across the nation, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has answered over one million calls in the past four years.
Yesterday, a new video was posted on the Lifeline YouTube Channel in which Dr. Phil encourages people to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. In the video, he talks about why people should reach out if they are in suicidal crisis or emotional distress and he says there is no shame in asking for help.
LifelineGallery.org enables suicide survivors, attempt survivors, and suicide prevention supporters to share their stories of hope and recovery. Personal stories (spoken through avatars) illustrate the many ways in which suicide affects others and offer comfort to those who may be suffering alone.
FamilyAware.org helps families “recognize and cope with depressive disorders to get people well and prevent suicides.”
Humor is healthy and depression is treatable, but there’s nothing funny about real pain and suffering.
– Frank Mannarino
The U.S. Army has reported there were 18 suspected suicides during February 2009, up from 11 the previous year.
According to the Associated Press, in January 2009, the number of self-inflicted deaths (24) surpassed the 16 combat deaths reported in all branches of the armed forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and other nations considered part of the global war on terror.
Agence France-Presse reports, “Suicides in the US Army are on the rise with 88 suspected cases in the first six months of the year, compared to 67 in the same period in 2008, according to Pentagon figures issued.
The latest figures confirmed warnings from top US military officers that the number of suicides among active-duty soldiers this year was on track to surpass a record level set in 2008.
Last year 128 soldiers took their lives, up from 115 in 2007, amid increasing strain on Army troops serving repeated combat tours.”
Source: http://bit.ly/pcmRj