Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders are prevalent and traceable to US Military Service. Although national tracking of veteran suicide rates is unreliable at best, the VA estimates that 22 veterans commit suicide each day. This means approximately 8,030 veterans kill themselves every year, more than 5,540 of whom are 50 or older.
The
VA provides assistance to US Veterans, but needs to have veteran’s families to
alert them to intervene.
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2024/2024-Annual-Report-Part-2-of-2_508.pdf
Veterans are vulnerable to alcoholism and drug addiction to self-medicate their emotional difficulties. Divorce is common. Homelessness and inability to be self-supporting is common. Veterans who have self-supporting careers they enjoy don’t have these problems.
In 2021, research found that 30,177
active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have
died by suicide - compared to the 7,057 service members killed in combat in
those same 20 years.
https://www.uso.org/stories/2664-military-suicide-rates-are-at-an-all-time-high-
In
2023, there were approximately 15.8 million military veterans in the
United States, which is 6.1% of the total civilian population age 18 and
over:
Female
veterans: 1.7 million, which is 10.9% of the total veteran population
World
War II veterans: 0.6% of veterans served during World War II
Korean
War veterans: 3.5% of veterans served during the Korean War
Vietnam
War veterans: 33.0% of veterans served during the Vietnam War
Persian
Gulf War veterans: 24.8% of veterans served during the Persian Gulf War
Post-9/11 veterans: 28.0% of veterans served during the Post-9/11 period (September 2001 to present)
According to the Census Bureau, 6.2% of the adult American population, or 16.2 million people, identified as veterans in 2022.
The number of veterans experiencing homelessness has decreased by 55.6% since 2010. However, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness increased by 7.4% in 2023.
The data show there were 32,882 Veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States in January 2024, 13,851 of whom were unsheltered — down from 35,574 and 15,507 in 2023, respectively.
Wounded
Warrior TV commercials have alerted us of housing help available to veterans
with limb loss handicaps.
The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) provides care for more than 45,000 veterans with major limb loss. In 2019, the VA provided care to 96,519 veterans with amputation, including 46,214 with at least one major limb amputation.
48.5
million (16.7%) Americans (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder
in the past year. 10.2% of Americans 12 and older had an alcohol use disorder
in the past year. About 27.2 million Americans 12 or older (9.7%) reported
battling a drug use disorder in the past year.
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/addiction-statistics-demographics
Veterans
are slightly more likely to have a substance use disorder (SUD) than the
general population:
Veterans: In
2021, 15.8% of veterans 18 and older had a past-year SUD.
General
population: In 2021, 17.5% of the general population had a past-year SUD.
Summery
There
were 15.8 million US Veterans as of 2023.
7057
US Veterans were killed in combat between 2001 and 2024.
30,177
US Veteran committed suicide between 2001 and 2024.
There
are 16.2 million US Veterans as of 2022.
32,882
veterans are homeless as of 2024.
46,214
veterans have suffered major limb loss.
US
Veterans are more prone to addiction.
There are 22 million US Citizens “in recovery” for addiction.
Foreign Wars have lost their appeal and are now being avoided.
The
“drug culture” that began in the 1960s continues to claim victims in 2024.
Successful Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Addiction is possible if the patient
has suffered “their last bottom” and asks God to help.
The US needs to “roll back” the use of drugs and tighten restrictions using FDA data.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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