Page 620 - Total War on PTSD

First, it’s important to understand that Veterans’ suicides are not a new topic, but one that we, as a society, did not begin to understand until very recently. Although issues pertaining to Veterans’ suicides have received increased media attention over the last several years and were even labeled an epidemic this past year, Veterans have struggled with suicide, suicidal thoughts, and mental health ailments for generations. During the Civil War, for example, many Veterans died by suicide based on what they experienced during the war, but also from the economic hardships they experienced afterward. And, some killed themselves before going into battle, for what is speculated as fear of being unable to live up to honor and bravery expected of them during the fight. Despite the number of soldiers who suffered as a result of their Civil War service, the pressure of war and its impact on mental health were seldom studied until World War I, when it was observed that large numbers of Veterans exposed to combat returned with “shell shock.” PTSD, as a diagnosis, did not emerge until after the Vietnam War, and clearly, Veterans of the Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) conflicts are still struggling with it.
Society did not pay much attention to suicide generally until 1998, when Congress declared suicide a national problem and declared suicide prevention as a national priority, acknowledging that “no single prevention program will be appropriate for all populations or communities.” Veteran suicide did not gain recognition as a separate issue until approximately the mid-2000s, when opposition to the wars in Iraq in Afghanistan caused many to re-focus on the plight of Veterans returning from a combat zone, including an emphasis on the impact of disabilities such as PTSD, TBI, and severe
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