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Tag(s): Antidepressant; Depression; Doctors; Health; Health Care Benefits; Health Care Costs; Health Care Establishment; Health Care Legislation; Health Care Liability; Health Care- Veterans; (more...) Health Home; Health Psychiatry; Health Psychology-Mental Health; Health Therapy; Health- Preventive Medicine; Homeless; Mental Health-Therapy; Mental Illness; Veterans (less...)
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September 8, 2008 at 07:53:02

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MENTAL HEALTH ETCETERA AND NOTES

by Kenneth Briggs Page 1 of 2 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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Mental Health Etcetera and notes

Key statistics and facts--Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom

Mental Health Is the second largest area of illness after orthopedic problems,

Nearly one in five, [thirty thousand], soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have posttraumatic stress disorder or depression with only about half of that number actually seeking treatment.

Approximately nineteen percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, and seven percent of service members report both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression.

45 percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness, including many eho report high rates of PTSD.

Approximately 70 percent of homeless veterans suffer from substance abuse problems.

A suicide prevention hotline started by the VA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in July 2007 has served 22,000 and prevented 1,221 veterans from taking their lives in the first year of operation.

Source: National Council Magazine, Vol. 3 July 2008

Factsheet: Suicide

No suicide attempt should be dismissed or treated lightly

Warning Signs of Someone Considering Suicide: Several of these symptoms may signal a need for help: Verbal Suicide Threats, Expressions of Hopelessness and helplessness, Previous suicide attempts, Depression, Risk-taking behavior, Personality changes,

What to do if you Think Someone is Suicidal: Trust your instincts, Talk with the person about your concerns, Ask direct questions without being judgmental, Do not swear to secrecy, Do not act shocked, Get professional help, Do not leave the person alone

Youth suicides on the rise

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was an eighteen percent increase in suicide rates under age 19 in 2004, and this trend persisted in 2005. Some experts believe the increase may be due to the reluctance of doctors to prescribe antidepressants to teens because of an advisory issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2003 that linked the drugs to an increased risk of suicide or suicide-related behaviors in children and teens. Since this warning and antidepressant drugs’label revisions, there has been a 20 percent decline in the drugs’ use.

Doctors could dramatically decrease the number of suicides by helping to restrict at-risk patients’ access to firearms and other highly lethal ways of committing suicide, Harvard researchers say. Among Americans, guns are used in more than half of all completed suicides, and studies estimate estimate that one-third to four-fifths of all suicide attempts are impulsive. Because having a gun in the home is associated with a two to ten times increased risk of suicide compared to homes without guns, researchers say talking to family members about removing guns or otherwise lethal means from the patient’s environment may prevent many suicides.

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Born-03/20/1934, BA Pol. Sci.-U of Washington-1956, MBA-Seattle U-1970, Boeing-Program Control-1957-1971, State of Oregon-Mental Health Division-Deputy Admistrator-1971-1979, llinois Association of Community MH Agencies[IACHMA]-Executive Director-1980-1987, District of Columbia Government-MH Division-Chief MH System Development-1987-1989, Illinois Real Estate-Associate Broker-1989-1995, Ohio-Retired-1995-1999, Florida-Retired- 1999-?
Operate an eBay book store, Ajax Books Etcetera, which currently [12/17/06] has approx. 435 items for sale, mostly mystery books . Ajax Books Etcetera can be found by searching Google, Yahoo search and some other search engines. He has now found his true love;writing and consequently has joined the National Writers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Member Northwest Progressive Institute. Member Florida Progressive Coalition.

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5 comments

I am a soldier in the war against my children and their children. The enemies preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. I may not win, in fact I probably won't, but neither will I be silenced by those who wish to do so. Intellect is my weapon, the written word my bullets.
jeff pragerI am a soldier in the war against my children and their children. The enemies preparations are concealed, not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed. I may not win, in fact I probably won't, but neither will I be silenced by those who wish to do so. Intellect is my weapon, the written word my bullets.

Wait a Second Here

While I won't dispute the facts and know they are accurate I also won't attempt to negate your commendable concerns, I will bring to your attention the need to expand your editorial which becomes truly apparent when contemplating its message and content.

Ken, you are old enough and obviously intelligent enough (yes, I've read your editorial before and enjoyed it) to read more into this subject than appears here now.

There's a war going on and it's against you and I. How would you explain the shameful way we treat our veterans, those attempting to collect disability who are turned down or forced to endure a lengthy and unwieldy process that brain injuries leave them ill-prepared for?In fact, explain the term "homeless vet" which defies explanation. How would you explain what's called Rumsfeld Disease with Nurasweet or Aspartame at its core? What do you make of the disarming of veterans returned for the sake of safety? Have you read anything by Dr. Russell Blaylock (http://www.naturalnews.com/020550.html) or Googled Rumsfeld and Aspartame? Depleted uranium and Dr. Leuren Moret (click here concerns for our vets are both admirable and necessary it's almost like using your intellect to address the symptoms while ignoring the disease Ken.

America is asleep at the wheel and the Bush phrase, BUDsters has never been more accurate.

While Americans wave flags and praise their leaders they are not predisposed to question authority and the leaders, criminal sociopaths, are leading us down a road no one's driven before with no loose change for a ride back.

by jeff prager (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 186 comments) on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:11:25 PM

Wait a Second Here

Ken, you are old enough and obviously intelligent enough (yes, I've read your editorial before and enjoyed it) to read more into this subject than appears here now.

There's a war going on and it's against you and I. How would you explain the shameful way we treat our veterans, those attempting to collect disability who are turned down or forced to endure a lengthy and unwieldy process that brain injuries leave them ill-prepared for?In fact, explain the term "homeless vet" which defies explanation. How would you explain what's called Rumsfeld Disease with Nurasweet or Aspartame at its core? What do you make of the disarming of veterans returned for the sake of safety? Have you read anything by Dr. Russell Blaylock (http://www.naturalnews.com/020550.html) or Googled Rumsfeld and Aspartame? Depleted uranium and Dr. Leuren Moret (click here) concerns for our vets are both admirable and necessary it's almost like using your intellect to address the symptoms while ignoring the disease Ken.

America is asleep at the wheel and the Bush phrase, BUDsters has never been more accurate.

by jeff prager (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 186 comments) on Monday, September 8, 2008 at 11:12:37 PM

queen Bee

we think we have problems now

Comment from Ratings: my heart goes out to these young men & women that are coming home, our goverment is not doing enough for them, that are serving us, we are going to have load's of family issues from this war, and we need to speak up and stand up more for these soldiers and what they need ! bless them all

by queen Bee (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 8:28:13 AM

Born-03/20/1934, BA Pol. Sci.-U of Washington-1956, MBA-Seattle U-1970, Boeing-Program Control-1957-1971, State of Oregon-Mental Health Division-Deputy Admistrator-1971-1979, llinois Association of Community MH Agencies[IACHMA]-Executive Director-1980-1987, District of Columbia Government-MH Division-Chief MH System Development-1987-1989, Illinois Real Estate-Associate Broker-1989-1995, Ohio-Retired-1995-1999, Florida-Retired- 1999-?Operate an eBay book store, Ajax Books Etcetera, which currentl...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Kenneth BriggsBorn-03/20/1934, BA Pol. Sci.-U of Washington-1956, MBA-Seattle U-1970, Boeing-Program Control-1957-1971, State of Oregon-Mental Health Division-Deputy Admistrator-1971-1979, llinois Association of Community MH Agencies[IACHMA]-Executive Director-1980-1987, District of Columbia Government-MH Division-Chief MH System Development-1987-1989, Illinois Real Estate-Associate Broker-1989-1995, Ohio-Retired-1995-1999, Florida-Retired- 1999-?Operate an eBay book store, Ajax Books Etcetera, which currentl...

to see more of bio, click on member name

I know our prob lems will multiply

Queen, yes our problems will multiply as long as this stupid war goes on. More reasons why it must be stopped now.

by Kenneth Briggs (139 articles, 88 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 114 comments) on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 12:52:47 PM

Born-03/20/1934, BA Pol. Sci.-U of Washington-1956, MBA-Seattle U-1970, Boeing-Program Control-1957-1971, State of Oregon-Mental Health Division-Deputy Admistrator-1971-1979, llinois Association of Community MH Agencies[IACHMA]-Executive Director-1980-1987, District of Columbia Government-MH Division-Chief MH System Development-1987-1989, Illinois Real Estate-Associate Broker-1989-1995, Ohio-Retired-1995-1999, Florida-Retired- 1999-?Operate an eBay book store, Ajax Books Etcetera, which currentl...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Kenneth BriggsBorn-03/20/1934, BA Pol. Sci.-U of Washington-1956, MBA-Seattle U-1970, Boeing-Program Control-1957-1971, State of Oregon-Mental Health Division-Deputy Admistrator-1971-1979, llinois Association of Community MH Agencies[IACHMA]-Executive Director-1980-1987, District of Columbia Government-MH Division-Chief MH System Development-1987-1989, Illinois Real Estate-Associate Broker-1989-1995, Ohio-Retired-1995-1999, Florida-Retired- 1999-?Operate an eBay book store, Ajax Books Etcetera, which currentl...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Wait a second

Jeff, The purpose of this article was to inform, not to editorialize,. obviously much can be said about the shamefull way the Bush administration has treated our veterans.

by Kenneth Briggs (139 articles, 88 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 114 comments) on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 12:41:50 PM