Update: PTSD Claims the Life of Another Combat Veteran

PTSD Last week we posted about PTSD and the possible triggering effects of July 4th fireworks.  We are sad to post this follow up about a Georgia veteran who committed suicide after hearing fireworks on the Fourth.  Click here for the full story from a local news source.

National Disgrace – 22 Veteran Suicides Every Single Day

As tragic as this death is, equally tragic are the other 21 veteran suicides that happen every day that go seemingly unnoticed by most people.  That’s right – 22 veterans commit suicide every day.  That is almost one per hour.  When you go to bed, another 7 or 8 will have likely died by the time you wake.  Another 440 will die this month. Another 3,784 this year.  Even worse news – the number may actually be higher than 22 based on inaccurate state reporting.

Veteran Suicide Resources

There is a Veterans Crisis Line (phone 1-800-273-8255, or text to 838255) for veterans in their time of need.  This crisis line has been credited with saving 48,000 veterans since its creation in 2007. Unfortunately, this has not been able to keep up with the demand of those in need.  A recent investigation revealed the line receives 1,400 calls a day but can only field 1,000 of those.

How The Rest of Us Can Help

What can we, as individuals, do about this crisis?  First, we all need to have a greater sense of awareness of the problem.  That problem really has two parts – the vast number of veterans affected and the seriousness of the problem in the individual context.  Left untreated, PTSD can be fatal.  There are those who think veterans who struggle with mental illness are either faking or somehow wrong for having problems when all veterans are not similarly affected.  That is a shame and contributes to the problem so many military families face.  We need more resources for veterans fighting suicidal thoughts.  Many of these are PTSD veterans, although not all of them carry a formal diagnosis.  For anyone who has personal experience with PTSD will know, post-traumatic stress disorder take a huge toll on the servicemember and the rest of the family as well.

What can we, as a nation, do about this crisis?  We need to research and develop the correct resources to help out veterans who struggle with mental illness.  Like anything else, all of this requires funding.  Our country can also demand that the Department of Veterans Affairs do its part to provide these veterans with fast and accessible treatment for their conditions.  Finally, it can process PTSD and other mental health VA disability claims in an expeditious and non-adversarial manner.  The only thing worse for an afflicted veteran than dealing with PTSD is trying to tackle that at the same time he is being erroneously denied VA disability benefits.

Our Veterans Disability Attorneys are Committed to Help

At Perkins Studdard, we help veterans every day.  We understand how events in service can have devastating effects on a veteran later on, even years down the road.  We often try to assure our veteran clients that the denials they receive in their VA disability claims are not a reflection on their service, their truthfulness, or the reality of their struggles with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and similar problems.  However, we do see the toll a long VA disability claim can have on them.

If you know a veteran who may have PTSD or other mental health issues, be proactive in helping them find resources before it’s too late.  Twenty-two veteran suicides every day is a national disgrace.  Do what you can to help fulfill our nation’s promise to those whose sacrifice continues long after their service.

Travis Studdard is an attorney who focuses on representing veterans in VA disability compensation claims.  He regularly writes about issues that are important to veterans and their families.

You can subscribe to his Veterans Disability channel on YouTube.

I can't express enough how great it was to work with Perkins Studdard. They are extremely knowledgeable, professional and keep you aware of everything happening with your case. Very friendly from the front office to Mr. Perkins. I would HIGHLY recommend Perkins Studdard!James Strickland
I recommend Travis for an Veteran that has been dealing with constant denial with claims. He also , cover cost for my nexus letter when I ran into financial troubles , that helped me win my case.edwin Cook
I highly recommend Travis Studdard to represent anyone looking to help with VA claims. The VA is very difficult to deal with when attempting to get benefits from service connected injuries, at least that's my experience. Travis and his team knows the VA system and the legal procedures to help you get what you deserve. Travis was kind and passionate with me throughout this process and therefore, I highly recommend this law firm to represent DAV's.Terry Hembree
Such an awesome team. They spoke to me like a person and helped me through every decision with knowledge.Kevin Collett
Highly recommend this firm. Did exactly what they said they were going to and fairly timely. The VA is sometimes extremely difficult to navigate but this took all the leg work away from me and got me the result I thought was fair.Andrew Boone
Amazing staff, very informed along with excellent communication. Within just a few weeks of work, Mr Studdard was able to make things happen that normally take years! Highly recommendJacob Sylvester
Perkins Studdard LLC is the place you need to be if you have a Workers Comp case going on! Mr. Jason Perkins and his staff get the results that you need. They work with you and fight for you.Coming from another lawyer my husband and I were really surprised and appreciated the communication and honesty and understanding throughout the entire process. My husband loves the videos because they held so much information and helped him understand what what was going on. Thank you so much for representing us!!!Deborah Tompkins
I highly recommend Jason Perkins and the Team at Perkins and Studdard. Jason did a wonderful job on my case and actually got me better results than what I was hoping for. He was always so patient with me and made sure I was understanding every process in my case. He never seemed to mind me asking questions and always gave me straightforward answers. My phone calls to him or his staff were promptly answered or returned and everyone was always so helpful, personable, and respectful. He kept me updated on all the details of my case and sent helpful videos for me to review that were very informative.Dru Vaughn
Helped me when I needed after getting hurt at work. Thank you for everything!The Knight Family
I could not have asked for a better lawyer to represent my worker comp. case. Any questions I had during the process was always answered in a timely manner. Mr. Perkins really cared about insuring that I wasn't being taken advantage of during this process and helped us reach a settlement that I feel comfortable with. I would recommend this firm to my parents or children.syndel Laber

Related Posts

Contrast:

Font Size: