Suicide Risk Said Higher for Veterans

Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk of suicide because not all Veterans Affairs health clinics have 24-hour mental care available, an internal review says.
by Hope Yen 

The report released Thursday by the department's inspector general is the first comprehensive look at VA mental health care, particularly suicide prevention.

It found that nearly three years into the VA's broad strategy for mental health care, services were inconsistent throughout the agency's 1,400 clinics.

Several facilities lacked 24-hour staff, adequate screening for mental problems or properly trained workers…

With about one-third of veterans reporting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, it is "incumbent upon VHA (the Veterans Health Administration) to continue moving forward toward full deployment of suicide prevention strategies for our nation's veterans," the report stated.

In a written response, the VA's acting undersecretary for health agreed with many of the recommendations. Michael Kussman noted that the VA recently has placed suicide prevention coordinators in each medical center.

The report comes as already-strained troops and veterans say they are suffering more psychological problems due to repeated and extended deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. In a study this month, a Pentagon task force issued an urgent warning for improved care.

In the inspector general report, investigators echoed some of those concerns in calling for additional staffing and better training in VA facilities. It said about 1,000 veterans who receive VA care commit suicide every year and as many as 5,000 a year among all living veterans.

The report said clinics should work harder so veterans can seek treatment with feeling stigmatized. It recommended additional screening for patients with traumatic brain injury.

Among the other recommendations:

_VA clinics and Pentagon military hospitals must better share health information, particularly for patients who might return to active-duty status.

_The department should ease criteria for inpatient post-traumatic stress disorder. Currently only veterans with "sustained sobriety" get treatment; this bars help for many who report increased drug and alcohol dependency as ways to alleviate stress.

_The VA should create a database to help track patients at risk for suicide.

The report follows high-profile suicide incidents in which families of veterans say the VA did not do enough to provide care. In one case, the family of Marine Jonathan Schulze said he told staff at a VA Medical Center in Minnesota twice that he was suicidal in the days before he hanged himself Jan. 16, but that he was turned away. The VA has said that was not the case.

Michael J. O'Rourke, assistant director of veterans health policy at the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said he was troubled by the report, given the growing health care demands.

"We've come to expect the Department of Veterans Affairs to take care of veterans," O'Rourke said. "I'm glad they've acknowledged problems and I hope they follow through. It's something desperately needed."

Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, said the report pointed to a lack of planning by the department.

"It is far past time for the administration to get its act together and treat invisible wounds with the same vigilance that is given to physical injuries," said Murray, D-Wash.

Go to original article

"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on VT may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. VT has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is VT endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)