Last Monday, March 26th, a confirmed US military veteran but has not been identified committed suicide inside the waiting room of John Cochran VA Medical Center in Missouri.
This is just one of the many cases of suicide amongst US military veterans. As time goes by, more and more cases of suicide have been on the news.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), roughly 800,000 people commit suicide, yearly, with much higher estimates of attempted suicides. Although suicide can occur at any age, suicide is the second highest cause of mortality among people 15 to 29 years old (WHO, 2017).
Even those who are not veterans also commit suicide due to depression and other factors that trigger them. They think that whatever is going on with their lives and the people around them don’t matter anymore because they’ve already shut out them out of their worlds.
Why do people commit suicide? What do suicidal people really feel?
According to Make The Connection, those who consider suicide feel:
• Helpless, like there is nothing they can do to make things better
• Hopeless, thinking their problem cannot be solved by them or anyone else
• Worthless, thinking they’re unable to help themselves or feeling like a failure
• Hateful toward themselves
• Like they are a burden to others
• As if the pain of living is too much to bear
Someone who is considering committing suicide also show signs like:
• Feeling hopeless, trapped, or like there’s no way out
• Having persistent or worsening trouble sleeping or eating
• Feeling anxious or agitated
• Feeling like there is no reason to live
• Feeling rage or anger
• Engaging in risky activities without thinking of the consequences
• Increasing alcohol or drug misuse
• Withdrawing from family and friends
If you or someone you know are showing these signs, might as well talk to them or seek help. There are many organizations nowadays who work with people that are suicidal and give out therapy to help them prevent suicide.
If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who is experiencing any of these signs, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online at www.VeteransCrisisLine.net, or text 838255 today.
Goodgear.TV is intended to be a comprehensive video based resource for veterans and their families. We hope that you will find the information easy to navigate and enables you to understand more of the difficulties and challenges our veterans face during their service in the military as well as when they return to civilian life. Whether you are a veteran, related to a veteran or are seeking to understand and honor our country’s veterans we believe Goodgear.TV is a great place to be.
– by Jey Gee Layno
