<p>In</a> college, vets more likely to attempt suicide - Chicago Sun-Times</p>
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The veteran survey also found that 7.7 percent reported a suicide attempt, compared with 1.3 percent of college students overall who reported attempting suicide.
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<p>thats just BS</p>
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<p>Actually it’s not.</p>
<p>I would guess that vets NOT in college also have a higher suicide rate than the population at large. They comprise a more fragile demographic psychologically.</p>
<p>You’re absolutely right MommaJ.</p>
<p>Come on, think about it. How can you be so heartless that you won’t get affected emotionally after being trained to kill and sent off to see your buddies die and stuff.</p>
<p>Unfortunately those suicide rates seem to be in line with studies on veterans in the general population - 3-7x non vets. <a href=“http://www.veteransnewsroom.com/files/press/VETERANS-Fact-Sheet-Veterans.pdf[/url]”>DosenPendidikan.Com;
<p>Yes, sadly there is a very high suicide rate in the military in general right now.</p>
<p>jym626-</p>
<p>I was reacquainted with a friend we knew in Madison 25 years ago, a few weekends ago. After her Ph.D., and some time in the lab, she went back to medical school and is now a psychiatrist at a VA hospital. I absolutely monopolized her time, asking her all kinds of questions about why this phenomenon is so, and while I can’t remember many specifics, I was engrossed by her observations and insight as to why returning vets are at a higher risk for suicide now, as opposed to those of previous wars. She’s got her hands full.</p>
<p>yes, i believe the rate increases with more deployments. and their training with guns is a more definitive way to complete the attempt. and they are exposed to death early in life. these are also people who idealize doing good for the country and realism sets in. also these are also people who are young and frequently trying to find themselves.</p>
<p>Colleges accepting returning vets need to get on-staff psychologists who are specialized in dealing with these issues. All vets face a challenge returning to the real world. College is no different.</p>
<p>colleges frequently have vet centers/advisors on campus and there are community vet centers that have counseling- it is not a common training to treat these combat vets in the normal psychology training. but, there is real help out there and outreach programs to reach them. military and va centers are well aware of the suicide rate and are actively trying to reduce it.</p>
<p>It’s a silly article. Veterans have higher suicide rate, period. It’s not “vets more likely to commit suicide in college,” it’s “vets more likely to commit suicide.”</p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE:
This thread is to discuss issues surrounding veterans and college. It is NOT to discuss the pros and cons of a volunteer army or the draft.</p>
<p>Oldfort – the article is about a study, so if you’re going to say something is silly, you can blame the folks who did the study.</p>
<p>But they basically published the study to let colleges know this might be a growing concern. An estimated 2 million veterans may go to school in the next five to 10 years; this is a demographic for which colleges may want to implement new services. Not all campuses have student veterans groups.</p>
<p>It is silly because it is stating the obvious. </p>
<p>No, I do not believe it is the college´s responsibility to implement new services. It is the government´s responsibility (tax payers´) to make sure the veterns are well taken care of, colleges shouldn´t not be burdened with additional costs.</p>
<p>Wait, we should simply leave it up to the overburdened VA and not make sure college administrators know about the concerns? </p>
<p>Since one of the most effective ways to treat depression and isolation is talk therapy, and most colleges have hundreds of on-campus groups anyway, it doesn’t seem it would be so much of a problem for campuses to make sure they have a student veterans group to provide a place vets can go to meet other student vets. it’s not really an added burden on the campuses – they already have counseling, they already have clubs. I’m not saying they need special services, they just need to be made aware of what’s available to them, and maybe done in a way that brings student veterans together.</p>
<p>The study may have been stating the obvious, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea for colleges, which pay close attention to the issue of suicide on campus, to be made aware of this special group of students who may be more prone to attempting and succeeding at suicide.</p>
<p>Aaron Glanz is an author who writes and speaks about veteran suicides. He has at least one book.</p>