Dallas VA hospital closes pysch ward after 4th vet suicide.
By on Apr 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Dallas VA hospital closes pysch ward after 4th vet suicide.
The Dallas Morning News reports that city’s VA Medical Center officially closed its psychiatric wing after the fourth mentally-ill veteran committed suicide this year. The hospital was rated the nation’s worst VA facility in a 1995 study, though a spokeswoman said that “more than $250,000 has been spent during the last six months to eliminate suicide risks” there. In November, CBS reported that “at least 6,256 US veterans committed suicide in 2005 — an average of 17 a day.”
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21 Responses to “Dallas VA hospital closes pysch ward after 4th vet suicide.”
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eatmybush
April 15th, 2008 at 4:56 pmForgive me but I don't think you are real.
Texas does not recognize problems up in yer head.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pmGuido ~! exactly my reaction! Mission Accomplished, BushitCo!
April 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pmReal or not, that one certainly is heartless.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pmI wonder if Bill O'Reilly's going to argue this one, too
April 15th, 2008 at 4:58 pmWow. I don't even know where to begin. 17 per day. Our largest Army post, home to two full divisions, is located in Fort Hood, Texas. The largest Army training center for medics is down in southern Texas. There are a lot of vets there, and a lot of troops from there are currently deployed. 17 a day. This is a disgrace.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:00 pmthe truly sad fact is, the longer the Iraq war continues, the more troops will be commiting suicide. Broken bodies, broken minds.
I've seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness- Alan Ginsberg
April 15th, 2008 at 5:01 pmThey could have spent the money on qualified personnel to attend to the treatment, instead of eliminating environmental items patients could use to kill themselves. People will always find a way, if left to their own devices long enough.
The poor treatment of mental problems in Veterans is a symptom of a larger problem: Mental health problems are seen as weakness in the military. The emotional trauma associated with war/occupation would have to be acknowledged also.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pmthough a spokeswoman said that “more than $250,000 has been spent during the last six months to eliminate suicide risks” there.
Probably spent the money on stuff like cameras rather than better psychiatrists.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pmThey can spend all of the money they want, it won't help the problem. Repeated deployments for 12-15 months at a time, and little to no rest in between is causing major issues in our troops' mental health. As long as our troops are forced to endure this rotation/deployment schedule we will only see more suicides. PTSD does not get better by being deployed again.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:07 pmChris L Says:
PTSD does not get better by being deployed again.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
This can not be repeated enough times. Maybe eventually someone in power will listen.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:10 pmWell they saved money and solved the problem. No more vets will commit suicide with the facility closed. How Bushian.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:16 pmWow, a whole $250,000.00 spent during the last six months to eliminate suicide risks.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:23 pmWhat great humanitarians we are.
I heard in the news of a recent Army casualty who was on his fifth deployment to Iraq when he was killed.
Say it slowly: Fifth deployment.
Tragically, it cannot be any real wonder that the suicide rate among our veterans is as high as it is. How much carnage, death, destruction and insanity can any person take before they can take it no more?
April 15th, 2008 at 5:28 pmceltic cynic Says:
Wow, a whole $250,000.00 spent during the last six months to eliminate suicide risks.
What great humanitarians we are.
#####
By comparison $270 Million is spent in Iraq in 17 hours.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:29 pmeatmybush Says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush did it!!
Sad pathetic troll finally gets something right. Even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:43 pm17 men a day commit suicide, how could they not realize they weren't doing enough to help them? If that is not a cry for help, I don't know what is. There is no excuse for not getting these vets the proper care they needed and deserved.
They have got to give them 2 years off before they deploy them back to Iraq. The military is not allowing them enough time with theirs families. The soldiers in combat zones shouldn't have to be there longer than 9 months. It is taking too big a toll on them mentally.
January can not get here fast enough for a Democratic President to bring the soldiers home for good.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:58 pmJust think, the VA medical system had for years outperformed the private, for profit medical system in the United States. The VA provided more effective, efficacious and efficient treatment of our veterans. Then came BUSH.
April 15th, 2008 at 6:07 pmYeah, but those were just those "phony soldiers", right, Dittoheads?????
April 15th, 2008 at 6:52 pmLike Americans or any Law Makers really care about that or anything that happens to our troops. Just keep them protecting Iraq oil for Cheney and interfering Iraq's Civil War. Look for the draft to be enacted when Teflon John McCain bombs Iran illegally. Americans will do the same thing they did when Iraq was illegally invaded. Our Law Makers are just in the job for their pay checks and what money they can steal from the US taxpayers. If Obama gets in he will become one of the 2 per cent Rich Americans without having to work for it.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:57 pmAnd don't forget that the suicides are only the tip of the iceberg of the mental illness present. And what happens to these folks when they are released to the outside ?
April 16th, 2008 at 2:23 pm