A study released Monday by the Rand Corp. found that the U.S. military isn’t doing enough to prevent suicides among service members.
A study released Monday by the Rand Corp. found that the U.S. military isn’t doing enough to prevent suicides among service members.
The issue isn’t unique to the military, of course. But the mental health of our young people, especially our military, should be paramount, especially since President Donald Trump pledged in his campaign that reducing military suicides would be a priority.
“The whole mental health issue is going to be a very important issue when I take over and the (Department of Veterans Affairs) is going to be fixed in so many ways but that’s going to be one of the ways,” Trump told a veterans group. “And that’s in many respects going to be the No. 1 thing we have to do.”
Rand’s new evaluation of the medical care provided to more than 38,000 U.S. troops with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder in 2013 and 2014 showed that the military health system “excels” at screening for suicide risk and substance use but doesn’t provide adequate follow-up to troops with a suicide risk. It found most service members received at least some psychotherapy, but that less than half of the counseling was evidence-based.
Let’s do better. Let’s hold Trump to his pledge.
— The San Diego Union-Tribune