Barbie Rohde touches the tombstone of her son, Army Sgt. Cody Bowman, at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Sunday, June 11, 2023, in Dallas. For decades, discussions of suicide prevention skirted fraught questions about firearms; the Army has punted implementing … OPINION:
As a combat veteran who deployed and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, I know firsthand about war’s long-lasting effects. The horrors of combat follow us home, haunt our nights, and cast shadows over our days. The weight of our experiences can be overwhelming, and for some, it becomes too much to bear.
Every day, 22 veterans make the heartbreaking decision to end their lives.
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Many experts claim Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is killing our troops. But based on my personal and professional experience, PTSD is not the sole cause of the veteran suicide epidemic; it is just one of several factors that lead veterans to make that fatal, final decision.
To truly support our veterans and active duty military, we must recognize that resilience after combat is multifaceted. True treatment involves addressing the whole person — mind, body, and soul. A comprehensive program combines psychological, physical, cognitive, spiritual, and social care. We cannot isolate these components; they are interconnected, each factor playing a crucial role in fostering hope and healing.
Many good-hearted and well-intentioned organizations and medical professionals focus on the wrong issue and therefore focus on an erroneous solution. Clinicians try to treat PTSD with medication and talk therapy. While these options are useful tools, they are not necessarily the only, or best, solutions.
SEE ALSO: Memorial Day: The overlooked military suicide prevention tool no one is talking about
I know this phenomenon because I experienced it.In 2010, I returned home from the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. It was a seven-day period of heavy combat in one of the most dangerous places on Earth, changed me in ways I never imagined. I left for deployment with rose-colored glasses and returned with a warped worldview. I justified my actions by telling myself the kills were righteous […]
From a combat veteran: Standard PTSD treatment contributes to the veteran suicide epidemic
