January 19, 2012 – Washington Post

The number of suicides among soldiers has been leveling off but there’s been a dramatic jump in domestic violence, sex crimes and other destructive behavior in a force that has been stressed by a decade of war, a new Army report said Thursday.

“There’s a lot of good news in this report, but there’s also some bad news,” Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli told a Pentagon press conference. “We know we’ve got still a lot of work to do.”

Suicides among soldiers in the active duty, Guard and Reserve totaled 278 last year, down 9 percent from 2010.

“I think we’ve at least arrested this problem and hopefully will start to push it down,” Chiarelli said.

But violent sex crimes and domestic violence have increased more than 30 percent since 2006 and child abuse by 43 percent.

“After 10 years of war with an all-volunteer force, you’re going to have problems that no one could have forecasted before this began,” he said.

Chiarelli was releasing a 200-page report for commanders, health care providers and other military leaders and meant to assess the physical and mental health condition of the force, disciplinary problems, and any gaps in how the Army deals with them.

It follows up on a 2010 report that said the Army was failing some soldiers by missing signs of trouble or by looking the other way as commanders tried to keep up with tight deployment schedules needed to fight in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chiarelli said commanders are now getting more troops into substance abuse programs; are kicking more out of the service for misconduct, and are barring others with alcohol and drug convictions from joining in the first place.

Other details from the report:

— Calling post-traumatic stress disorder an epidemic, it estimates that there could be 472,000 service members with the condition, half of them in the Army.

—Some 24,000 soldiers were referred to substance abuse programs in the 2011 budget year, ended in September.

—The Army had over 126,000 diagnosed cases of traumatic brain injury from 2000 to 2010. That included more than 95,000 mild cases such as concussions, 20,000 moderate cases and more than 3,500 in which there were severe, penetrating injuries.

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January 19, 2012 – www.defense.gov

The Army released suicide data today for the month of December and calendar year (CY) 2011.  During December, among active-duty soldiers, there were 11 potential suicides:  two have been confirmed as suicide, and nine remain under investigation.  For November, the Army reported seven potential suicides among active-duty soldiers.  Since the release of that report, five have been confirmed as a suicide, and two remain under investigation.  For CY 2011 there were 164 potential active-duty suicides of which 140 have been confirmed as suicides, and 24 remain under investigation.

During December, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were five potential suicides (four Army National Guard and one Army Reserve): three have been confirmed as suicide and two remain under investigation.  For November, among that same group, there were eight potential suicides.  Since the release of that report, three cases have been added for a total of 11 cases (11 Army National Guard and no Army Reserve). Of those, nine were confirmed as suicides and two remain under investigation.  For CY 2011, there were 114 potential not on active duty suicides (80 National Guard and 34 Army Reserve): 102 have been confirmed as suicide, and 12 remain under investigation.

A report released today, “Army 2020 Generating the Health and Discipline of the Force,” referred to as the “Army Gold Book,” represents the next phase in Army health and disciplinary promotion efforts.  The report assesses progress made, as well as identifies and addresses remaining gaps in policy, programs and procedures relating to soldier health and discipline since the release of the “Army Red Book” in July 2010.  It also underscores the importance of ongoing leader education, tireless commitment and open communication at all levels in assuring that the right choices continue to be made for our soldiers, the Army and our nation.

“As we look ahead to the strategic reset, transitioning from a predominantly wartime Army to a ready and responsive one, leaders at every level must be actively engaged.  They must understand the issues addressed in this report, apply the many lessons learned and, unlike the mostly reactive efforts of the post-Vietnam Army, continue to take a proactive approach to generating health and discipline in the force.

“This report should serve as a comprehensive guide, a roadmap of sorts reflecting not only how far we have come in recent years, but more importantly, provide direction as we look ahead to the strategic reset and the many challenges we will inevitably face as we come back home,” according to the “Gold Book.”

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.  Trained consultants are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and can be contacted by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or by visiting their website athttp://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Anderson County veteran gets back payment for Agent Orange exposure (KnoxNews.com, TN) — For a 66-year-old Vietnam veteran, the check he received Saturday was a long-overdue thank-you for his military service,He received $389,475 in retroactive Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, Anderson County Veterans Service Officer Leon G. Jaquet said.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/17/anderson-county-veteran-gets-back-payment-for/

Live music at Fresno’s VA hospital makes a big difference (Los AngelesTimes, CA) — The hospital was built in the years after World War II. Its ceilings are low, corridors long and corners sharp — all possible stress triggers for those who have been in combat.  Not to mention that a hospital waiting room can make anyone edgy.  But the Veterans Affairs hospital in Fresno has found a way to make the experience easier: live music. The hospital set out to provide simple distraction, but soon doctors noticed a marked improvement in many of their patients, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. Dr. Hani Khouzam, a psychiatrist who treats both disorders, said patients have been arriving for appointments so notably calmer that it takes him longer to make a diagnosis — something he welcomes.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ptsd-music-20120116,0,1657849.story

After decades of untreated rage, Vietnam veteran finds peace (petoskeynews.com, MI) — Friday, Jan. 27, will mark the 39th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accord that ended U.S. participation in the Vietnam War.  Many of the veterans who fought in that war, however, have yet to find peace.  A government study estimated there are a million Vietnam vets with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following them throughout their lives. “It wasn’t until my 29th year of sobriety that I got help,” Fischer said. “I went to a reunion with my combat buddies in 2007. They told me I had PTSD.”

http://articles.petoskeynews.com/2012-01-17/ptsd_30637555

MILITARY:
Marine Corps ends 2011 with record number of suicide attempts.  (North County Times, CA) — The 175 attempted suicides were three more than the 172 recorded in 2010 and more than twice the 82 recorded in 2002, the first year the Marine Corps began keeping a detailed count of the grim statistic  The 33 Marines who killed themselves were all male. Troops or their family members or loved ones seeking help can reach the American Combat Veterans of War at 760-696-0460, or the Marine Corps’ toll-free counseling line called DSTRESS at 877-476-7734.

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/military-marine-corps-ends-with-record-number-of-suicide-attempts/article_8bf7ee8a-950c-5e38-9e2e-2f4a48f01601.html

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January 18, 2012 – www.orpartnership.org

January 16, 2012 – NPR

Everyone has nightmares sometimes. But for people with PTSD, it’s different.

Sam Brace doesn’t want to talk about what he saw when he was a soldier in Iraq eight years ago. In fact, it’s something he’s actively trying not to dwell on. But what he can’t control are his dreams.

They’re almost always about the same explosion. “When I was overseas, we’d hit an IED,” Brace says. “When I have a nightmare, normally it’s something related to that.”

Healthy dreams seem kind of random, according to Steven Woodward, a psychologist with the National Center for PTSD at the VA Medical Center in Menlo Park, Calif. “They’re wacky,” he says. “They associate lots of things that are not normally associated.”

PTSD dreams are the same real-life event played over and over again like a broken record. “Replicative nightmares of traumatic events … repeat for years,” Woodward says. “Sometimes 20 years.”

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