Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 1

The Impacts of Mental Illness on Veteran Suicide Rates, Drug Abuse, and Homelessness

Sean T. Borden

Legal Studies academy

First Colonial High School

Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 2

Abstract

Veteran mental illness and its impact on Veteran suicide rates, homelessness, and drug

abuse. How it extends to an overarching impact on society and the legal system of the United

States. The ways in which mental illness in the military community have been stigmatized and

why veterans are not receiving proper help. I will be detailing how these issues impact our

society, and what the United States is doing to help.

Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 3

The Impacts of Mental Illness on Veteran Suicide Rates, Drug Abuse, and Homelessness

Men and women across the country sacrifice themselves for the good of our country and

its people. Service members travel across the globe to ensure peace, freedom, and American

values are echoed around the world. These same people have to bear witness to the atrocities of

war, and the mental and physical wounds they have to endure. Veteran mental illness leads to a

variety of issues in our society and for veterans themselves. The link between Veteran mental

illness and suicide, drug abuse, and homeless ness amongst the veteran population.

Veteran Mental Health

Veteran mental health is an extremely important, and a very volatile issue. Our veterans

go to war and fight for this country, living a completely unique, and different lifestyle. They go

through things many people couldn't even begin to understand. The scope of the veteran mental

health crisis in this country extends greatly to different issues. Often depicted as the invisible

wounds of war, Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, and various other mental illnesses like anxiety

attacks have been ever present and persisting since as early as the Revolutionary war. The first

true diagnosis or recognition of any cognitive and traumatic issues associated with war came in

1915 as a result of World War One. A Contribution to the Study of Shell Shock, an early study

published by Captain Charles Meyers during the First World War, analyzing three soldiers as

they went through the various traumas produced by war (Myers 1915: 320). The introduction of

the term “Shell Shock” was the first major step in uncovering the invisible wounds that many

soldiers bring home from their time at war. As more war has happened, American society has

become much more antiquated with the toll the horrors of war can take on a person. Despite that,
Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 4

the general stigmas revolving around people affected by these issues not wanting to appear weak,

in addition to the perceived lack of help which is believed to be attributed to the Veterans Affairs

Department, can make for a malignant combination. The inclusion and recognition of the issue of

veteran mental health in society can also be a problem. It has begun to lead to mass

generalization of the issue as a whole, causing people to not realize how distinct many of the

different facets of PTSD and other mental disorders can truly be (Erwin 2019).

Drug Abuse

The various stresses that revolve around the military and deployments have a major link

with substance abuse amongst service members and veterans. The adjustment period for veterans

going from active duty with sporadic deployments to civilian life is often a point where veterans

are susceptible to turn to drugs or alcoholism to combat feelings of anxiety, depression, and the

overall feeling of displacement in the military. Additionally, Veterans with substance abuse

problems are considered 3-4 times more likely to receive a PTSD or depression diagnosis,

showing the toll that these mental disorders can take, which leads to this drug abuse that has a

mass impact on society (Teeters., Et Al 2017). With research illustrating that very few service

members or veterans with substance abuse issues looking to receive treatment, the drug abuse

issue serves as a grave gateway for Veterans whose situations are already bad, to become far

worse (NIDA. 2019).

Homelessness

Veteran mental health issues lead to a variety of negative outcomes. The prevalence of

veteran drug abuse puts veterans at a much higher risk at becoming homeless than the average

person. Just over 9% of all adults experiencing homelessness in the United States are Veterans of

the U.S. military (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 2018). This statistic
Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 5

makes veterans one of the largest cohesive groups in the United States homeless populace,

proving the major issues revolving around veterans being at risk of malignant outcomes to the

mental and economic effects that their time in the service has on them. Historical evidence has

concluded that prominence of mental illness, substance abuse, and extreme poverty, are all the

major reasons that any person becomes homeless. Meanwhile Veterans are a more susceptible

group to these three contributing factors, largely because of the adjustment period into civilian

life and various stigmas around getting mental help among military personnel (Metraux., Et, AL

2017)

Suicide

Veteran suicide is perhaps one of the greatest risks and horrific aspects of the Veteran

Mental health crisis in the United States. The veteran population commits suicide at a much

greater rate per capita compared to the general populace. This is a result of a multitude of factors

stemming from the mental issues these veterans tend to suffer from as a result of war, and the

transition into civilian life. The factors that provide cause for veteran suicide are much different

compared to factors for non-veterans. This discrepancy is a major issue as veterans with mental

health issues or who are contemplating suicide often get offered the same treatment that

nonveterans receive in that situation, which is far less helpful becaue they are not receiving

specified help (Wood, Et., AL 2020). Veterans are at a far greater risk because on top of all the

normal factors that go into nonveteran suicide such as depression and anxiety, Veterans,

especially combat veterans have those same symptoms but much more amplified because of their

time in the service.

Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 6

Societal Impact

The societal impact of veteran mental illness is great. People often lose loved ones, and

families get torn apart because veterans are not getting the proper help that they need. There are

many reasons for this, both cultural and due to the VA. A comprehensive study and analysis was

conducted by the American University Law Review on the different barriers that may prevent

Veterans from obtaining proper mental health care after their time in the service (Drake, et., al

2020). This article used a method called “Cultural Domain Analysis,” which is the use of barriers

identified by the participants, analyzing multiple dimensions and facets of each participant

group, and obtaining participant interviews and to access their explanations and viewpoints for

different dimensions of the cultural domain. Item relations were synthesized within and across

domain dimensions to contextualize mental health help-seeking behavior in order to see what the

subjects in question did to seek mental health care, in addition to the quality of that care. The five

different dimensions of the issue that were studied were concern about what others think;

financial, personal, and physical obstacles; confidence in the VA healthcare system; navigating

VA benefits and healthcare services; and privacy, security, and abuse of services. The article and

the study itself ended up concluding that many service members have a general distrust of

government health care and the VA system in general which is a result of the VA’s past failures

at providing proper care to veterans at times. The military has many natural stigmas against

mental health issues which often result in failure to provide proper treatment when veterans get

out of the military when they develop issues from their service. This often leaves them to being

unable to deal with being brought back into society which can lead to instances of drug abuse or

homelessness, and in some instances suicide. This article was overall very informative and

factual with the way it presented its research and findings. Mentalities revolving around “Suck it
Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 7

up” or “Tough it out” run rampant in the military which are further proof that the overall culture

of parts of the military, especially Military Personnel who are involved in combat roles deal

with. On top of that, the overall mistrust of the VA compounds into veterans often having to deal

with mental health issues on their own. This results in multitudes of veterans distrusting the

Veterans Affairs Department which causes many veterans to not seek proper help when they

need it.

Legal Impact

The Veterans Affairs department is one of the biggest factors when it comes to veterans

receiving a lack of help in the mental health field as proven by the case of Kisor v. Wilkie (2019).

The issue is whether the previous court rulings of Auer v. Robbins (1997), and Bowles v.

Seminole Rock & Sand Co (1945), be overturned (Oyez, 2019). This case revolves around

whether or not petitioner James Kisor would be entitled to veteran disability benefits dating back

to 1983 when he originally applied. Or whether it goes into effect from in 2006 when he

challenged the initial decision, but it was reversed, thus granting him benefits. This case dissects

the codes of the Veterans Affairs department in addition to the elements that constitute Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mental health benefits for veterans. The Supreme Court

ultimately ruled that Auer and Seminole Rock would not be overruled as the Supreme Court

primarily wants agencies like the Veterans Affairs department to handle the regulations of their

own rules and laws on their own and that it was not really up to the courts to interfere with

agencies handling of their own regulations. This case did, however, manage to bring to light the

increasingly high error rates the VA has had in the past when it comes to providing veterans with

their benefits. This relates to the issue of veteran mental health issues going mistreated by

showing the errors in diagnosing and providing veterans with their rightful benefits. These are
Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 8

brought to light by this case which helps prove the inconsistencies and lack of help many

veterans receive which further proves the necessity of helping veterans in need. Additionally,

although there is not much that the courts themselves can do to help with the issue, legislation

regarding issues facing veterans have begun to gain traction in Congress. Commander John

Scott Hannon’s Veteran Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, is set to vastly improve

the Veterans Affairs Departments resources for combating mental health issues (Hannon 2019).

This legislation will offer scholarships to mental health professionals to work at Vet Centers in

order to attempt to gain more employees who are willing to work in that field. This legislation

will also add a Suicide Prevention Coordinator in every VA hospital. Rural veterans will also

have easier access to mental health care because there will be more locations around the country

where veterans can access mental health care.. There will also be a new program which will

grant them access to innovative mental health services such as animal therapy, agri therapy,

sports and recreation therapy, art therapy and post-traumatic growth. This legislation will also

create a grant program which will help support local organizations which help veteran’s mental

health issues all over the country. This will hopefully enable an earlier identification of veterans

who are at risk of suicide and will generate a better ability for these orginizations to help take

preventative measures to ensure veterans have stable mental health care.This legislation will also

provide for a new study on the effects of living at high altitude on veterans' suicide risk and

diagnostic biomarker research to identify depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and

other conditions. Most importantly, holding the VA accountable for its mental health care and

suicide prevention efforts by examining how the Department manages its suicide prevention

resources. This will prevent common issues that were brought to light by the Kiser v. Wilkie

cases such as the backlog of veterans nor receiving proper benefits.

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Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has made issues of veteran mental health and suicide far greater

in the past few months. It has produced great mental distress, depression, and anxiety among

many veterans. This is largely due to many of them being isolated and completely cut off from

any possible outlets of help they can come by. This issue has been getting linked to increased

suicide and suicidal behavior among many veterans with mental issues. The COVID-19

pandemic has created a “perfect storm” that threatens the mental health of many veterans, many

of whom already have pre-existing mental health conditions. A recent study reported that

military suicides have increased by as much as 20% this year compared to the same period in

2019. Reports of violent behavior have spiked as service members struggle under COVID-19,

war-zone deployments, national disasters and civil unrest (Han, R.H., Schmidt, et., al 2020). The

obvious conclusion in this instance is the correlation between the times in which bad mental

health incidents amongst veterans have risen, with the time in which the COVID-19 pandemic

has taken its toll. Although it is not possible to obtain specific numbers from the government on

issues such as this, there have been enough whisperings that certain sources have been able to

grasp the issue. The Pentagon refused to provide 2020 data or discuss military suicide, but Army

officials said discussions in Defense Department briefings indicate there has been up to a 20%

jump in overall military suicides this year. With the Secretary of the Army even stating “I can’t

say scientifically, but what I can say is - I can read a chart and a graph, and the numbers have

gone up in behavioral health related issues.” There is definite cause for concern as a result of the

current pandemic. The active Army has seen a 30% increase from 88 suicides last year to 114

this year which pushes the total up because it's the largest service. The Coast Guard is up about

10%, going from 78 last year to 86 this year (Hester, R.D. 2020). This information only serves to
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showcase the drastic impact the pandemic has taken on veteran mental health, and the year isn't

even over yet. Suicide is most definitely the worst possible outcome of negative mental health

situations, but it is drastic enough to illustrate just how serious this issue is.

In addition to suicide as a whole, mental issues amongst veterans and active duty military

as a have increased. Roger Brooks, a senior mental health specialist at the Wounded Warrior

Project, reported increased suicidal behavior, and anxiety amongst veterans from April through

August. Even reporting a 48% jump in referrals to mental health providers, and a 10% increase

in mental health calls and virtual support sessions, compared to the previous five months of the

year (Brooks, 2020). The very presence of increased isolation for people with mental disorders,

disabling them from getting in person help is a troublesome scenario for this country.

Conclusion

Veteran mental illness is an issue that must be resolved. The necessity to pay more

attention and provide detailed and proper care to Veterans in need is paramount to produce

positive change for our society in addition to making a positive impact in those people’s lives

who chose to sacrifice their time for our country. Veteran mental issues need to be classified and

treated in a respect that Veterans are different than civilians, and have a greater likelihood at

holding more trauma within them. The unseen toll of war has affected soldiers and military

personnel alike since humans began to conduct full scale war. Society needs to address these

issues in order to salvage the lives of those who have been wrecked by war.
Impacts of Veteran Mental Illness 11

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