Giving Respect, Honor & HopeBack to Our Service Members

CHEMICAL DEPENDENCE

• 39% of veterans from current conflicts suffer from alcohol abuse.
• More than 20% of veterans with PTSD also suffer from an addiction or dependence on drugs or alcohol.
• SAMHSA reports that at least half of the returning service members who need treatment for mental health struggles like PTSD look for help, but few receive adequate care.
• Veterans with problems abusing drugs or alcohol are over twice as likely to die from suicide compared to veterans overall.
• The VA reports that 2 out of every 10 veterans with PTSD has a co-occurring substance use disorder. Conversely, one out of every three veterans seeking treatment for substance abuse has PTSD.

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

• “50% of those with PTSD do not seek treatment, of those 50% that do only ½ of them get ‘minimally adequate treatment’.” Rand.org
• Greater than 30% of all Vietnam veterans will suffer from PTSD at some point in their life.
• In 2014, of the 2.7 million American veterans of the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars, 20% have service-related PTSD and/or depression. Military counselors indicate that the number may be much higher.
• 9% of our returning soldiers suffer from PTSD immediately upon return from deployment. This increases to 31% after 1 year from the date of returning home.
• It is possible that PTSD can go undiagnosed and unrecognized for up to 30 years after deployment.
• Male veterans 55 years of age and older have the highest risk for suicide.

SEXUAL TRAUMA

• Pentagon report shows sharp rise in military sexual assaults. The troubling statistics also show that the majority – about – 70 percent – still do not officially report such incidents.
• Pentagon estimates that about 20,500 service members across the military branches – about 13,000 women and 7,500 men – were sexually assaulted in the 2018 fiscal year.
• 1 in 4 females and 1 in 100 male veterans who use the VA screen positive for military sexual trauma (MST).
• 40% of homeless female veterans have faced MST.
• 83% of victims did not report the crime.

DEPRESSION / SUICIDE

• In 2014, 8,000 US veterans committed suicide while an additional 11,000 attempted. The risk of suicide increases as age increases.
• The US military finished 2018 with a troubling, sad statistic; It experienced the highest number of suicides among active-duty personnel in at least six years
• In 2016, the suicide rate was 1.5 times greater for veterans than for non-veteran adults.
• The VA noted that 70% of veterans who lost their lives due to suicide had not been connected to healthcare through the VA. Access to evidence-based help from physicians, therapists, and addiction specialists can reduce the risk of suicide by treating underlying causes.

HOMELESS

• 37,878 veterans experience homelessness.
• Veterans make up approximately 11% of all homeless adults.
• Vietnam and post-Vietnam eras are at the greatest risk of becoming homeless but veterans from more recent wars and conflicts are also affected.
• Veterans returning from deployments often face invisible wounds of war, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, both of which correlate with homelessness.