Category Archives: veteran suicide

Traumatic Brain Injuries and How to Diagnose Them

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One of the hardest parts of seeing a soldier return home from combat is seeing the heavy price they paid in service to our country. At first glance, it’s easy to notice someone missing a limb, but it’s almost impossible to look at someone and see the traumatic brain injuries they may have suffered during their service. As a result, there’s a bit of a disconnect among the general population and their understanding of just how devastating a traumatic brain injury can be for our servicemen and women.

The Link Between TBI and Veterans

In 2020, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs for short) were responsible for over 64,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. While not all of these were military veterans, you can find an especially strong link between military service and traumatic brain injuries by looking at a bit of additional data for context.

For example, did you know that the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries is firearm assisted suicide? Or that around 72% of veteran suicides are from firearms, 22% higher than the national average? Considering that U.S. veterans are a little over twice as likely to own a gun than the average citizen, it becomes all too easy to connect the dots and see that veterans are especially at risk of TBI’s even long after they’ve returned home.

Aside from the suicide risk, the vast majority of veterans receive their TBI’s in combat. Soldiers in the field can be surrounded day and night by explosions, bullets, and even falling debris, any of which can cause a TBI. In fact, such injuries are actually the leading cause of both death and disabilities in warzones. U.S. House of Representatives member, Bill Pascrell, even went so far as to call TBI “the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”, further driving home the fact that traumatic brain injuries are more common among veterans than most people realize.

It’s easy to think that somebody returning home from service appears to be physically healthy and without scars from their time away. But the brain is by far the most important and delicate organ in our entire body, which is why internal brain injuries like TBIs can be so devastating to someone who may otherwise appear perfectly fine on the outside.

Photo by: Mart Production from Pexels

Diagnosing a Traumatic Brain Injury

In order to understand how to diagnose a TBI, it’s important to know a little more about how they cause their damage.

The first thing to know is that not all of the injury takes place at once. A “primary brain injury” occurs at the actual time of the injury, while a “secondary brain injury” may slowly manifest and cause additional damage over time. In essence, just because a brain injury might not be immediately devastating, it does not mean that it can’t eventually be devastating if left untreated.

This is why seeking a medical professional as soon as possible after the primary brain injury is so important. While any official TBI diagnosis should come from a qualified doctor, there are a few things that can tip you off to a potential sustained TBI that could save you valuable days, weeks, or months worth of additional secondary brain damage.

The first and most obvious question to answer is a simple one: Did you sustain any kind of head-related injury? Even something as simple as bumping your head on the ceiling of an attic can lead to a TBI, so don’t hesitate to see a doctor if you’re suffering from non-typical headaches or especially any periods of unconsciousness right in the aftermath of the injury.

You should also be on the lookout for “vomiting, nausea, lack of motor coordination, dizziness, difficulty balancing, lightheadedness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, and changes in sleep patterns,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. An especially obvious sign can be pupils of two different dilation levels.

Unfortunately, not all the symptoms of a TBI are so easy to spot. Sometimes a TBI can take much longer to manifest thanks to additional secondary brain damage, which can lead to gradual changes in personality or even decision-making capabilities over a long period time. Thankfully, these more subtle symptoms often come in tandem with at least a few of the more obvious physical symptoms, so if you or someone you know has been suffering from symptoms of both types then it’s time to see a doctor.

Are you a veteran in need of assistance? Click this link for a list of resources made specifically for you. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, please call either The National Veterans’ Foundation at 1-888-777-4443 or the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255). Both hotlines are free and confidential.

If you’re not a veteran but would still like to help out, you can get involved through our donation page here.

PTSD: The Silent Killer

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“War scars us all, but does the most damage to those closest to it.“

In his book, Faces of Combat, author Eric Newhouse describes PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as “…a series of persistent symptoms that follow exposure to a catastrophe or series of catastrophes that are outside a person’s control and that cause feelings of intense fear, helplessness, or horror.”

If you are unfamiliar with PTSD, Newhouse’s definition paints a somber picture of the living hell that people suffering from PTSD go though each and every day. But what makes veterans in particular so susceptible to the disorder?

Veterans who see combat can often experience these extremely stressful situations (or catastrophes) several times per day during tours that can last for years at a time. Each stressful situation compounds upon all the stressful situations that came before it, all but ensuring lasting effects long after the soldier returns home from duty. This untreated PTSD is largely why the suicide rate among veterans is statistically higher than the national average.

To support this theory, let’s look at some data.

The 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report conducted by the VA states that “In each year from 2001 through 2020, age and sex-adjusted suicide rates of Veterans exceeded those of non-Veteran U.S. adults.” Specifically, the report lists the 2020 rate of suicide among veterans as 57.3% higher than the general, non-veteran population.

Another study performed in 2017 found that 12.9% of their veteran participants were living with PTSD, compared to just 6.8% of the general, non-veteran population. This means veterans are almost twice as likely to have some form of PTSD and, when taken into consideration with the 2022 Suicide Prevention study by the VA, suggests a direct link between combat-related PTSD and suicide rates among veterans.

But despite how dire things may seem, there are reasons to feel optimistic about the future.

Thankfully, a lot of positive action has been taken in the past few years that is starting to yield very promising results. For instance, 2020 saw the lowest number of veteran suicides since 2006. Furthermore, the adjusted rate of veteran suicides is decreasing faster than the adjusted suicide rate of the general population, at 9.7% and 5.5% respectively. This means that things are absolutely trending in the right direction…but there’s still a long way to go.

In the meantime, each of us can focus on doing our part to fund programs that assist veterans. We can continue to spread awareness of the various programs that exist to provide mental health support to our veterans (several of which can be found here). The more visible these programs are, the more likely they are to be seen by the people who need them the most.

Are you a veteran in need of assistance? Click this link for a list of resources made specifically for you. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, please call either The National Veterans’ Foundation at 1-888-777-4443 or the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (800-273-8255). Both hotlines are free and confidential.

If you’re not a veteran but would still like to help out, you can get involved through our donation page here.

Life Changing Book for Vets

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To merely categorize Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Eric Newhouse’s latest writing Faces of Recovery as “a book” is misleading. In actuality, it is several books in one, with varied reader-audiences.
Its subtitle, Treatments that Help PTSD, TBI and Moral Injury, covers vastly more information as well, including research, personal stories, interviews, perspectives, and compelling examples aimed at educating military veterans, their family members, veterans’ counselors, civilians, and decision-makers in our Veterans Administration.
His writing is in-depth; his reporting focuses on various past weaknesses and some current improvements slowly being made to assist veterans, but his ultimate conclusions are uplifting and positive.
There is hope for those suffering from war’s “invisible wounds” as well as those with more obvious scars. Many people who never faced combat but who suffer from PTSD and other injuries can learn methods to help them begin healing.
What readers will discover is an overview of how millions of American veterans and their families continue daily to confront issues that resulted from what they experienced first-hand in battle or witnessed as journalists/photo-journalists, or as military and medical personnel. Some never left our shores and yet have PTSD symptoms years after the original incidents occurred. Clearly, our society may be experiencing a vast and complex general condition: soul injury.
Newhouse’s numerous personal interviews combined with gut-wrenching and detailed stories are reinforced by scientific research and statistics backed by reliable medical studies and decades of veterans’ data which leave no doubt that prolonged combat increases emotional and physical injury.
A veteran himself, Newhouse reveals in a stunning description how he was suddenly, personally, and emotionally affected when, for the first time, he stood in front of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. He had served in the Army, but since he was never deployed to Vietnam, he felt he had left the service unscathed. It was his psychological experience at “The Wall” that triggered his mission to seek help for those millions of Americans who served, both in combat and on the home-front, still suffering the effects of lost innocence.
Memories of actions resulting in killing someone during combat can also cause life-long guilt and trauma, if left to fester. Moral injury, as he terms it, can be as catastrophic as brain injuries.
Newhouse often speaks to veterans’ groups and those who counsel vets. He consults with Veterans Administration planners, interviews those veterans and civilians who, through military service or their civilian jobs, have suffered everything from “shell-shock,” a term used following WWII, to PTSD and TBI or moral injury from Vietnam or Middle East combat.
His book also includes revealing writings and interviews from many combat vets as well as one woman journalist who witnessed, solely on television, a major natural disaster with resulting deaths when her hometown of New Orleans was forever changed. Still today, although improving, she is re-living some of the images. Newhouse outlines successful techniques and approaches to make progress on what can be a slow-but-sure road to recovery.
Having taught Marines and sailors for the past two years at Camp Pendleton in a volunteer program called, “Writing for Strength,” I am honored to be mentioned in Newhouse’s latest release, a sequel to his Faces of Combat, used extensively in counseling and other educational programs to help veterans and others start to recoup their lives.
His books are essential for those working with veterans. Counselors and chaplains who attended my program consider Newhouse’s methods vital for connecting with and helping vets begin their healing process. Individual Marines and sailors who participate in Camp Pendleton’s program report finding his techniques something they need to continue to practice. Newhouse shows how writing, physical exercise, counseling and education can be combined to assist those who are injured.
He continues to dedicate his own life to making a difference in the lives of others. Faces of Recovery is the latest of his superb guidebooks for those in need.

Julie Davey, Writing for Strength Program, Camp Pendleton

Prevalence of Suicide

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My granddaughter is always asking me what she should do if someone tries to kidnap her. I give her a few self-defense tips, tell her to always be aware, and then try to alleviate her fear. I impress upon her the fact that in all my years, I have never met anyone who has been kidnapped nor have I ever met someone who knows someone who has been kidnapped. I explained that these facts lead me to believe that your chances of being kidnapped are lower than your chances of winning the lottery. (I actually know someone who won that.)

I used to feel the same way about suicide. Growing up I never heard of anyone neither I nor my family knew that committed suicide. I never even knew someone who knew someone. Now I know too many that have either been on the verge, tried, or even succeeded. Not only do I know people, people I love, I have been there myself. Talk to people. Tell them you care. Be available to talk. But you know what? You need to understand that if someone is truly intent on killing themselves, they are going to find a way. You can try with all your heart to prevent it, but they will just get crafty. They may even convince you that they are fine now so you start to relax and give them some space. The next day they are just gone.

It is NOT your fault. They are responsible for their own actions. You did NOT fail. Their own mind failed them. It convinced them that the only way to end their suffering was to end their existence. You cannot fight someone else’s inner demons. You can, however, not create demons of your own over their loss.
Please let them go. Feel sad that they lost their battle. Honor their memory and the love you shared. Understand that none of it was your fault. You cannot fight an enemy you cannot see. No one can truly see the inner workings of another’s mind. All you can really do is protect and nurture your own.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

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9781882883592In honor of Brain Injury Awareness Month, throughout March the publisher of Faces of Combat will be giving three books for the price of one!

Purchase Faces of Combat on our website and you will also receive Brain Injury Rewiring for Survivors: A Lifeline to New Connections as well as Brain Injury Rewiring for Loved Ones: A Lifeline to New Connections.

And remember…every purchase of Faces of Combat results in a donated copy for us to get out to a veteran.

About the books:

Traumatic brain injury causes damage to the connections in many parts of the brain besides the focal point of the injury. It’s not enough to heal medically. Brain Injury Rewiring for Survivors discusses medical care and goes beyond that to help the survivor heal spiritually, emotionally, cognitively, physically, socially, and vocationally through traditional and complementary medicine and good nutrition.

Brain Injury Rewiring for Survivors is one of two well-received books designed to help survivors of brain injuries. The companion book, Brain Injury Rewiring for Loved Ones, describes how family and friends of the survivor can help the survivor during recovery.

 

 

Faces of Combat 2016!

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Because PTSD doesn't just affect the Veteran.

Because PTSD doesn’t just affect the Veteran.

Here at Faces of Combat, we know that many veterans rarely talk to their family or loved ones about their feelings and experiences which often results in a veteran becoming isolated from those who most want to help. So this year, along with our parent non-profit organization, Pine Winds Connections, we will continue our mission of getting this life-saving book out into the veteran community. We know that this book can help those loved ones better understand their veteran just as we know it helps the veteran to realize that he/she is not alone and can learn to live with their experiences.

It’s a new year here at Faces of Combat and we have set some pretty lofty goals. In the past couple of years, we have given out over 2,000 copies of our book to veterans’ organizations, veterans themselves, or to those who love a troubled veteran. This year, we want to reach even more.

We have all seen the movies or read the reports in the media where some veteran has supposedly gone “postal” due to their PTSD. We wish that stereotype would just stop. I have spoken with many, many veterans and, in reality; those with PTSD are more likely to hurt themselves than others. According to the current reports, it is to the tune of 22 per day. Twenty-two veterans per day take their own lives and that is only the number of those who succeed.

Many veterans try for years to hold their demons at bay through a combination of drugs and alcohol and many have ended up in trouble with the law due to this self-medication. Before we throw the key away on these veterans, we want to reach them. Throughout this country, there are now special veterans’ courts. A veteran can choose to go through this system for their non-violent offense and the judge is then able to consider the veteran’s military service and combat experience in relation to their sentencing. Sentencing can even result in inpatient, intensive PTSD treatment. It is these veterans we want to reach in 2016. (Please note that these courts are ONLY for non-violent offenders. The veterans I have spoken with feel that those veterans who use PTSD as their defense for their violent, criminal actions are an affront to the tens of thousands of veterans who suffer from PTSD and only encourage the ridiculous stereotype portrayed by Hollywood.)

For 2016, our first goal is to provide copies of our book to the 160 Veteran Justice Outreach Specialists in the country. This will ensure that each veteran who comes through their program will receive a copy of the book and information on our website. Currently, our website has over 200 free resources for veterans and their families. We hope that each of these veterans will read this book, see themselves in it, and get the help that they need before it’s too late. That’s what happened with me and that’s why I do this today.

Also in 2016, we will be preparing and starting our non-traditional healing classes. Like many of you, I’ve been to the Veteran’s Administration. I’ve taken their pills, still take some. I’ve participated in a number of their therapy programs and I have learned an important thing. Not every program works the same for everyone person. We are all different. We all have different values, belief systems, etc. Everything that makes us unique as an individual is exactly what makes it difficult to find just the right therapy for you. So this year, in our local area, we will be offering healing classes using expressive writing, meditation and shamanistic rituals. We hope that by next year, we will be able to offer some of these programs across the country.

Speaking of “across the country”, the first week of April starts my annual Faces of Combat road trip sharing our programs along the I-90 corridor. Last year, I was accompanied east by one set of grandchildren and west by the other set. We had quite a time! If you are a veteran group and you are along the I-90 corridor, I’d be happy to stop in, drop off some books and discuss what we are all about! (Just as an FYI, this trip is fully-funded by me, not our organization. They only provide the books.)

2016 is going to be exciting! If you like what we are doing, visit the “Get Involved” page on our website and join us!

Lori Barnes
Faces of Combat