Posted on Mar 15, 2015
22 to Zero. Are Veterans making the suicide rate worse?
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http://www.havokjournal.com/culture/22tozero-veterans-are-making-it-worse/
We all know the terrifying statistic that 22 Veterans commit suicide per day. What this author questions is whether or not the Veteran communities themselves are partly to blame. Let me know if you agree with the author, along with your reasoning.
LTC (Join to see), CPT (Join to see), SFC Mark Merino, MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
We all know the terrifying statistic that 22 Veterans commit suicide per day. What this author questions is whether or not the Veteran communities themselves are partly to blame. Let me know if you agree with the author, along with your reasoning.
LTC (Join to see), CPT (Join to see), SFC Mark Merino, MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
Posted in these groups: 
Social Media
Suicide
Social Media Suicide
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 10
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The author highlights a problem with wide spread social media, as opposed to tailored social media like RP. The relative anonymity. A community like RP, we put all our details out there for everyone to see, right in our profiles.
If someone wants to, they can see when I joined, when I got out, what duty stations I was at, what deployments I did, etc. And the reverse is also true.
I don't think I have ever witnessed anyone on this site call another person a derogatory name like POG, REMF, FOBIT, et al, outside of good natured fun. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that I don't recall witnessing. The admins are swift about nipping that in the bud.
But we don't have anonymity like facebook, twitter, etc. we don't hide behind our keyboards. We might get heated on topics. Quite a few, but we don't attack each other as a matter of course.
Now, the authors concept that "social media is a support structure," I'll buy that. Followed by "social media, in general is becoming more and more virulent," still on board. This leads to "lack of support structure playing a contributing factor to vet suicide." Holy #^%#^#, that's a pretty solid hypothesis, honestly.
Let's take a look at our demographics for suicide. (quick google search, so just take it for face value).
https://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/facts-and-figures
Two groups based on age are going up. 25-44, and 44-64. In military terms that is Post first term (biggest exodus group) and Post Retirement (next largest). Add in:
"Patients with serious medical conditions such as cancer, HIV, lupus, and traumatic brain injury may be at increased risk for suicide. This is primarily due to psychological states such as hopelessness, helplessness, and desire for control over death. Chronic pain, insomnia and adverse effects of medications have also been cited as contributing factors. These findings point to a critical need for increased screening for mental disorders and suicidal ideation and behavior in general medical settings."
So... I think the author may be on the right track. Correlation doesn't equal causation, but man, when you have several indicators..."If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck...."
If someone wants to, they can see when I joined, when I got out, what duty stations I was at, what deployments I did, etc. And the reverse is also true.
I don't think I have ever witnessed anyone on this site call another person a derogatory name like POG, REMF, FOBIT, et al, outside of good natured fun. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that I don't recall witnessing. The admins are swift about nipping that in the bud.
But we don't have anonymity like facebook, twitter, etc. we don't hide behind our keyboards. We might get heated on topics. Quite a few, but we don't attack each other as a matter of course.
Now, the authors concept that "social media is a support structure," I'll buy that. Followed by "social media, in general is becoming more and more virulent," still on board. This leads to "lack of support structure playing a contributing factor to vet suicide." Holy #^%#^#, that's a pretty solid hypothesis, honestly.
Let's take a look at our demographics for suicide. (quick google search, so just take it for face value).
https://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/facts-and-figures
Two groups based on age are going up. 25-44, and 44-64. In military terms that is Post first term (biggest exodus group) and Post Retirement (next largest). Add in:
"Patients with serious medical conditions such as cancer, HIV, lupus, and traumatic brain injury may be at increased risk for suicide. This is primarily due to psychological states such as hopelessness, helplessness, and desire for control over death. Chronic pain, insomnia and adverse effects of medications have also been cited as contributing factors. These findings point to a critical need for increased screening for mental disorders and suicidal ideation and behavior in general medical settings."
So... I think the author may be on the right track. Correlation doesn't equal causation, but man, when you have several indicators..."If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck...."
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He makes a lot of general statements and only provides examples to a just a couple of examples. Maybe he should pick better Veteran sites to spend his time. He is a sensationalist, writing things that will get him hits on his website, if only to be harassed for his lack of source documenting.
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1LT (Join to see)
I agree with you SPC(P) Jay Heenan. I think his argument is very one sided. I don't know all of the social media sites that he claims to have been on, I would guess Facebook and Twitter, but I think that if he came onto this site and could see how Veterans and Active Service Members help each other out and give advice on this site that perhaps he would change his mind. Though I have seen what could be described as "bullying" on this site, I would say it is not too often that it occurs.
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I don't see what the author of the article claims is going on at social media web sites, 1LT (Join to see). We should invite Jordan Taylor to join RallyPoint and see veterans supporting each other. I've seen quite a few posts on RP that directly contradict what he (I'm assuming he's a he?) writes ... Things like the difference between combat vets and non-combat vets, which he makes a pretty big deal of in the article.
Okay, you have motivated me. I'm going to invite him to join RallyPoint.
Okay, you have motivated me. I'm going to invite him to join RallyPoint.
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CW5 (Join to see)
And done. I had to leave a comment (couldn't find Taylor's e-mail address). He paints a pretty grim picture. I think RallyPoint is a shining beacon on a hill among social media sites if that's what folks on other sites are talking about.
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1LT (Join to see)
I agree with you CW5 (Join to see). I think he does need to see this site and the overwhelming support that service members, past and present, give to one another. I think where he is trying to hit is more in the direction of Facebook and Twitter and how on any given day you can see one person post something and get a bunch of nasty remarks. I have seen that and I understand his point there but at the same time I think this article is pretty one sided. Perhaps if he did get a chance to see this site and how things work here he would change his mind. I couldn't tell you for sure but there's my two cents.
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CW5 (Join to see)
Roger, 1LT (Join to see). PO2 William Allen Crowder, I have not experienced anything like that. I have received a few down votes for something I posted. My advice (and what I did) when that happens, is to disengage and ignore the down-votes, the taunting. When you do respond to that sort of thing, you're stepping into a trap that he has set.
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