Military families are working to solve the "greatest challenge"—preventing veteran suicide—to commemorate Memorial Day this year.
An average of 17 veterans died from suicide each day in 2020, according to a 2022 report from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). While this number has dropped in recent years , advocates say more work needs to be done to properly address mental health among veterans, whose experience overseas can cause lifelong challenges.
Studies have shown that up to 23 percent of veterans experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at some point in their life, according to the VA.
Blue Star Families’ Combat the Silence campaign is one program that aims to raise awareness about veterans’ mental health to prevent suicide in the military community, campaign lead Kali Hoffman told Newsweek.
"As we approach Memorial Day, it is very important that we think about our veterans at this time. It is a time that we think of those we have lost in battle. But it is also a time when we need to think about those military families and those veterans and servicemembers who have witnessed tragedy overseas and in combat," Hoffman told Newsweek in a phone interview. A U.S. soldier salutes the American flag in Fort Carson, Colorado, on June 15, 2011. The Combat the Silence campaign is aiming to raise awareness about mental health among veterans to combat suicide. Newsletter
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I want to receive special offers and promotions from NewsweekBy clicking on SIGN ME UP, you agree to Newsweek’s Terms of Use & Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe at any time.Hoffman outlined the most significant challenge to preventing suicide among veterans."The greatest challenge, which I feel will be a reoccurring thing, is a stigma and the pride factor that keeps our warriors, our greatest warriors, from saying that they’re feeling less that confident and less than human because they’re afraid of the response that they’ll get," she said.Creating "safe spaces" and "safe practices" to allow veterans to feel more comfortable discussing mental […]
Solving the ‘Greatest Challenge’ to Preventing Veteran Suicides
