Visitor put up by Joe Hoft – republished with permission
Republished with permission from AbleChild
With a lot information in regards to the latest Presidential election taking over a lot of the information cycle, the Division of Protection (DoD) Annual Report on Suicide for 2023 was launched and, sadly, summarily ignored. Our Service members deserve extra, particularly in gentle of the findings within the report.
Suicides amongst active-duty army personnel are at all-time highs and in line with a USO report, “some branches of the Armed Forces are experiencing the very best charge of suicides since earlier than World Conflict II.”
These information develop into much more startling when one understands that the identical USO research reveals that “army suicide charges are 4 instances greater than deaths that occurred throughout army operations.” By 2021, the information revealed that since 9/11 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans died by suicide in comparison with the 7,057 service members killed in fight in those self same twenty years.
The DoD suicide report explains that 523 (25.6 per 100,000) service members took their lives in 2023 which is a gentle improve since 2011. And, of curiosity, DoD explains that 42% of the suicides occurred amongst these with chosen psychological well being diagnoses.
It’s obscure how the nation’s army personnel are killing themselves in ever-increasing numbers when, on the similar time, psychological well being sources have steadily elevated. Take into account the FY2024 Price range Request for the Navy Well being System which highlights $1.400 million for medical psychological well being applications and initiatives. The truth is, in line with the report, psychological well being funds requests high the record of well being requests. A billion and a half {dollars} on psychological well being applications and nonetheless the suicide charge will increase?
However what’s most attention-grabbing about DoD’s suicide report is what’s lacking from it. Regardless of figuring out that the biggest expenditure in DoD well being applications is in psychological well being, the DoD doesn’t present any details about the precise drug “remedies” which can be utilized. Based on a Military Times investigation, the Protection Logistics Company spent $1.1 billion on frequent psychiatric and ache drugs from 2001-2009 and that “use of psychiatric drugs has elevated dramatically – about 76% total, with some drug varieties greater than doubling…”
These information are from fourteen years in the past. How a lot cash is appropriated for psychiatric drug “remedies” in the present day? Should be a state secret. Clearly one can assume that drug use has elevated together with the variety of service members being recognized with a psychological sickness however, regardless of relentless analysis, placing a financial determine on the drug use stays elusive.
As for the variety of service members who have been offered pharmaceuticals, one report means that 65% of service members had at the least one stuffed pharmaceutical prescription and that 41% of the prescriptions have been for central nervous system medicine (psychiatric) together with narcotic and non-narcotics. One scholarly paper means that 1 in 6 service members are actually taking at the least one psychiatric remedy.
And in AbleChild’s efforts to acquire present drug information for service members, one doc popped up that offered attention-grabbing, if not questionable, data. Based on the DoD Instruction 6130.03 Volume 1 (Medical Requirements for Navy Service) which “establishes bodily and medical requirements for appointment, enlistment, or induction into the Navy Companies, one may argue that most of the 1000’s which can be being “handled” for psychological well being points may not have been allowed to enter the service to start with.
So, what are among the psychological well being points that will preclude one from coming into army service? Below Part 6.28 Studying, Psychiatric, And Behavioral Issues the next are an instance of among the psychological well being exemptions.
Consideration Deficit Hyperactivity Dysfunction, studying problems (dyslexia) autism spectrum problems, psychotic, schizophrenic, delusional, psychoses and temper problems, bipolar, depressive problems, adjustment dysfunction, persona dysfunction, suicidality, suicide try and suicide speech, obsessive compulsive dysfunction, post-traumatic stress dysfunction, historical past of prescription with psychotropic remedy and gender dysphoria.
These admission “requirements” are updated as of Could of 2024. One may surprise how the army can record the above problems as prohibitive for entry into the army but, then again, spend billions on psychological well being look after service members (together with prescription psychiatric medicine) for those self same psychological well being problems.
As for gender dysphoria, the 2024 “requirements” lists it as precluding somebody from entry into the army, however in 2021 the Division of Protection welcomed transgender individuals into the service and gives medical remedy to help these wishing to transition. One can solely assume that gender dysphoria occurred after entry into the service.
The truth that DoD has produced a prolonged “annual” report in regards to the ever-increasing variety of army suicides and not offered the psychiatric drug information is inexcusable. It’s no secret that the army is a serious provider and prescriber of psychiatric drug “remedy.”
These drug “remedies” include a number of antagonistic occasions that will assist present some understanding of why our army is committing suicide in report numbers. As an example, a lot of the antidepressants available on the market have the next unintended effects: nervousness, aggressive response, confusion, nervousness, hallucinations, irregular goals, irritability, mania, psychosis, and suicidality.
Maybe specializing in the ever-increasing variety of army personnel who’re being recognized with psychological problems and what’s being prescribed as “remedy” may really be useful. For greater than twenty years, DoD has thrown tens of billions of {dollars} into psychological well being initiatives and applications solely to yearly report that the speed of suicide amongst its service members will increase. At what level does DoD admit that its psychological well being isn’t working, nobody is getting higher. What number of must die by their very own hand earlier than these in command begin asking the correct questions.
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