One in twenty-two veterans commit suicide daily. Most of these suicides are because of dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other forms of mental health issues. Instead of dealing with these issues, mostly because people don’t understand what is happening, they take their own life as a way of undoing the suffering. On May 30th veteran Drew Winkler lost his fight with PTSD and committed suicide, leaving behind family, friends and most importantly two small boys who watched him fight this for almost five years.
PTSD is something that a lot of veterans deal with after coming home from war. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Many times, a civilian (somebody not in the military) may not even know notice that someone has PTSD unless they see a symptom. Coming from a military family, if you are dealing with someone who has this mental illness, it is very hard. It can often be hard to get help from anybody to deal with the daily struggles of living with PTSD.
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It is to be believed that Winkler took his own live to save someone’s life. When you speak up about these issues, it can often help the people that refuse to talk about it. For five years, Winkler tried to get help from the Veterans Affairs (VA) but came up short each time. He would spend his lunch breaks and after getting out of work, trying to get help from the VA and many times he would just get hung up on. I believe that we can all take something from Drew Winkler’s final Facebook Status, he stated: “1 of 22 per day... why can't they just help us... goodbye”. A short message that changed his families lives forever. A simple goodbye that could have been prevented if he had gotten the help that he deserved. I encourage anybody dealing with PTSD that they seek out help and never give up. The words “never give up” are harder to hear and deal with because at times you feel like your only option is to commit suicide and give up. I promise you, there are people out there that want to help you.
1 in 22 veterans commit suicide and that is just the ones that are reported. Each day, a veteran takes their life because the country they risked their life for, will no longer understand what he is dealing with. 1 active member of the military a day will commit suicide because what they are dealing with is too much. Even if we do not understand what a veteran is dealing with, we can still listen and we can still help. If you turn someone down that says that they need to talk, you are most likely sending them away to deal with a PTSD episode by themselves. Sometimes just a hug can help, knowing that someone is there and that they are safe is a magical feeling.
Shows like Grey’s Anatomy show us what is like to deal with living with PTSD in many forms and how hard it is to go back to an everyday job. Characters like Owen Hunt show us that even though you are dealing with PTSD if you talk with someone and find your person, you are not alone. I can promise you, that it may feel as if you are all alone in the world, but you are not.
If you are reading this and dealing with PTSD or know somebody that is, here are a list of places that you can go, and get help.
Stop Soldier Suicide, Help Guide, Warrior Groups, Real Warriors, and Veterans Affairs. Let's continue to tell the VA that this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed better.
If you would like to learn more about Drew Winkler and donate to the care of his two little boys you can go here.
