Shocking Statistics: Soldiers' Suicide Versus Death From Taliban

[skycat 6,174]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23259865

[bird 10,014]

a real shame that, i did watch somthing on the box before about soldiers, who come out of the army with bad injurys ( legs, blown + hands off, crippled backs, etc) and the above post (mental injurys) .And once out the Army, the army doesnt look after them it was feckin really bad. they had put there life on the line for them, and to be treated like this at the end of it .Well i know 1 thing i would try to stop my son going in the Army, dont know if the RAF or the Navy is the same towards there men+women once they come out with the above things. we all difernt as humans, some can handle anything that thrown at them in life, where some people carnt , its not a fault, its we differnt and the Army should look at it like that, but they dont . as said all these men+women put there lives on the line for them, and to be treated like this is feckin bad, once out of the army or sick and no good to them they were forgotten

[paulus 26]

always been the same and always will be, your only any good to HM forces if your 100% A1,G4,Z1 more and more military hospitals and rehabilitation centers were closed, instead relying on the civilian sector, there are some very good organizations out there, Combat Stress are excellent at treating PDSD but the method of identifying it before its to late is often flawed. all ex servicemen should be subject to an annual assessment for 5 or more years after discharge IMO

[Blackbriar 8,569]

Not necessarily advocating this group, but came across this....

http://englandisourscom.ipage.com/england/suicides-blair-says-price-justified/

[WILF 50,514]

Just watching something on BBC1........I feel sorry for the family's left behind, their pain and heartbreak is obviously still raw and like all human beings they need a reason or someone to blame

 

They are not far enough along the path of grief to realize that sometimes, there is no one to blame......and I would say this is more so with suicide victims.

The only one to blame for a suicide victims death is them......no one puts the pills in their mouth or the rope round their neck but that's a hard thing to say if its your son or husband

 

These lads did their duty and are to be respected but part of me also says " dry your eyes boys, what did you think the job was?"

 

Personally, I don't think there is much the army can do or indeed should be expected to do after the event, the only thing they should maybe do is be more rigorous in selection to try and weed out those not mentally tough enough to deal with the realities of operations ?

[Blackbriar 8,569]

Watched the 'Panorama' about this tonight - tragic and deeply moving, the programme only served to deepen my respect for all personnel, whether serving or veteran.

In US, they have the Veterans Administration, but here MOD just seems to say 'Thanks for that - see you then', and has nothing more to do with ex-servicemen. Since most mental health issues seem to surface after discharge, maybe MOD should instigate a regular screening program for, say, 2 years after discharge - they must accept at least some responsibility for the future well-being of service veterans.

As a country, we owe it to these men (and women?) to do the very best we can for them. They have, after all, given so much for us!

[socks 32,253]

Just watching something on BBC1........I feel sorry for the family's left behind, their pain and heartbreak is obviously still raw and like all human beings they need a reason or someone to blame

They are not far enough along the path of grief to realize that sometimes, there is no one to blame......and I would say this is more so with suicide victims.

The only one to blame for a suicide victims death is them......no one puts the pills in their mouth or the rope round their neck but that's a hard thing to say if its your son or husband

These lads did their duty and are to be respected but part of me also says " dry your eyes boys, what did you think the job was?"

Personally, I don't think there is much the army can do or indeed should be expected to do after the event, the only thing they should maybe do is be more rigorous in selection to try and weed out those not mentally tough enough to deal with the realities of operations ?

The problem is wilf that no man knows how he is going cope with what he sees or does in in a wartime situation until it actually happens ... You can have the hardest meanest most not giving a fukc fella you know and watch him crumble before your eyes as the shit hits the fan ... It's impossible to asses anybody's mental robustness ... There are things that keep some people awake at night that other people would laugh at and forget about in 5 seconds ... You are still very much a child at 18 and are not mentally equipped to deal with some things logically and unfortunately for these lads not being mentally tough enough with no help has resulted in them taking the option they think is going to help,them .........

[bwfc 164]

The Army,Navy,Raf are all the same,they dont give a flying f**k about you.Your there to do as you are told weather you think its right or wrong,and dont look toward the MOD,they give even less of a shit!.They are also massively underpaid,use faulty equipment and often have to buy their own uniforms from Army and Navy stores,and have done so for years!.

The Army,Navy,and RAF are institutions just like prison and,many cant adjust to civvy life.Many of them end up in that other institution prison,because they are institutionalised and they often cant find work and cant cope.If the MOD gave a shit there would be no need for help the heroes,and people would be automatically looked after.

****THE FACT THAT HELP FOR HEROES ACTUALLY EXISTS,TELLS YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOD AND THIS IGNORANT PIECE OF SHIT GOVERMENT.****

[Blackbriar 8,569]

@socks and bwfc

[Its_grim_up_norf 577]

there is more people that have commited suicide since the falklands than who died in the conflict.

 

My dad was there and still now, 30 years on he has night terrors. has trouble sleeping and stuff. the statistic frightens me because the falklands conflict ran on for about 6 weeks. PTSD sufferers are still coming out now from then, so how many will show in the next 30 years from afghanistan...a 10 year war

[bird 10,014]

 

Just watching something on BBC1........I feel sorry for the family's left behind, their pain and heartbreak is obviously still raw and like all human beings they need a reason or someone to blame

They are not far enough along the path of grief to realize that sometimes, there is no one to blame......and I would say this is more so with suicide victims.

The only one to blame for a suicide victims death is them......no one puts the pills in their mouth or the rope round their neck but that's a hard thing to say if its your son or husband

These lads did their duty and are to be respected but part of me also says " dry your eyes boys, what did you think the job was?"

Personally, I don't think there is much the army can do or indeed should be expected to do after the event, the only thing they should maybe do is be more rigorous in selection to try and weed out those not mentally tough enough to deal with the realities of operations ?

The problem is wilf that no man knows how he is going cope with what he sees or does in in a wartime situation until it actually happens ... You can have the hardest meanest most not giving a fukc fella you know and watch him crumble before your eyes as the shit hits the fan ... It's impossible to asses anybody's mental robustness ... There are things that keep some people awake at night that other people would laugh at and forget about in 5 seconds ... You are still very much a child at 18 and are not mentally equipped to deal with some things logically and unfortunately for these lads not being mentally tough enough with no help has resulted in them taking the option they think is going to help,them .........

 

spot on ken, nobody knows how they will react to the above. seeing your mate dead or blown up with his legs off, got get into your head sooner or later, and you may be thinking when out there whens my turn to cop it.Got affect you ?

[Nik_B 3,791]

I don't think it's just combat stress that is causing this. I think the fact that these young guys go from having a fulfilling purpose in life to being chucked on to the streets, going from alpha male status to zero in ten seconds is just as much the problem.

[whippet 99 2,613]

 

Just watching something on BBC1........I feel sorry for the family's left behind, their pain and heartbreak is obviously still raw and like all human beings they need a reason or someone to blame

They are not far enough along the path of grief to realize that sometimes, there is no one to blame......and I would say this is more so with suicide victims.

The only one to blame for a suicide victims death is them......no one puts the pills in their mouth or the rope round their neck but that's a hard thing to say if its your son or husband

These lads did their duty and are to be respected but part of me also says " dry your eyes boys, what did you think the job was?"

Personally, I don't think there is much the army can do or indeed should be expected to do after the event, the only thing they should maybe do is be more rigorous in selection to try and weed out those not mentally tough enough to deal with the realities of operations ?

The problem is wilf that no man knows how he is going cope with what he sees or does in in a wartime situation until it actually happens ... You can have the hardest meanest most not giving a fukc fella you know and watch him crumble before your eyes as the shit hits the fan ... It's impossible to asses anybody's mental robustness ... There are things that keep some people awake at night that other people would laugh at and forget about in 5 seconds ... You are still very much a child at 18 and are not mentally equipped to deal with some things logically and unfortunately for these lads not being mentally tough enough with no help has resulted in them taking the option they think is going to help,them .........

 

good post and ive seen a few mates who are in pieces,....head totally gone,....turn to drink and drugs and forgotten about.......as said nobody knows how any man will stick it until it happens as its not something they can teach but only try and get you mentally tough through training/exercise........its not just our troops theres a lot of civillains including children unnessarly getting killed.........and its a lot for any man/ women to cope with.....

[WILF 50,514]

 

Just watching something on BBC1........I feel sorry for the family's left behind, their pain and heartbreak is obviously still raw and like all human beings they need a reason or someone to blame

They are not far enough along the path of grief to realize that sometimes, there is no one to blame......and I would say this is more so with suicide victims.

The only one to blame for a suicide victims death is them......no one puts the pills in their mouth or the rope round their neck but that's a hard thing to say if its your son or husband

These lads did their duty and are to be respected but part of me also says " dry your eyes boys, what did you think the job was?"

Personally, I don't think there is much the army can do or indeed should be expected to do after the event, the only thing they should maybe do is be more rigorous in selection to try and weed out those not mentally tough enough to deal with the realities of operations ?

The problem is wilf that no man knows how he is going cope with what he sees or does in in a wartime situation until it actually happens ... You can have the hardest meanest most not giving a fukc fella you know and watch him crumble before your eyes as the shit hits the fan ... It's impossible to asses anybody's mental robustness ... There are things that keep some people awake at night that other people would laugh at and forget about in 5 seconds ... You are still very much a child at 18 and are not mentally equipped to deal with some things logically and unfortunately for these lads not being mentally tough enough with no help has resulted in them taking the option they think is going to help,them .........

Very good we'll thought out post mate, can't argue with any of that.

 

Given the amount of personnel that have rotated through there, I wonder what percentage of them have developed these serious mental conditions and if we would consider that part of the casualties figures and as such " acceptable" ?........surely the powers that be will have made assessments on possible and acceptable casulty numbers and figured this in........but obviously they could never say this in public.

 

If its 50% (developing mental problems) then I would say the MOD are getting their mental assessments badly wrong at intake but if its 1 or half of 1% then I would say that is to be expected and normal?

Edited July 16, 2013 by WILF

[paulus 26]