Trial hears of veteran suicides
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| Topics: depression, military, PTSD, suicide, Veterans Affairs
On the opening day of a non-jury trial in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti heard about backlogs, delays, and 18 suicides a day despite staff increases in VA hospitals. A class-action suit, brought by two advocacy organizations, asks for improved treatment for mental health care and not for a financial settlement.
The trial follows last week’s report from the Rand Corporation"Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery" noting a serious gap in treatment for one in five soldiers returning from combat with a mental health problem. The 500-page report estimates that “PTSD and depression among returning service members will cost the nation as much as $6.2 billion in the two years following deployment.”
