Soldier Suicide
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Professor’s Name
Date
Soldier Suicide
Question One
Soldier suicide is the action of a soldier taking their life. According to statistics, more than 45000 soldiers have killed themselves in the last five years. The VA estimates that about 22 soldiers kill themselves every year, making it about 8000 each year (CBS News, 2013). Clay haunt was a marine who served his country, who later killed himself after two years of being out of service. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder due to the trauma that he experienced when he was at war. He struggled with sleeplessness, panic attack, and depression even after he was put on medication. He was older than other students at Loyola Marymount and could not relate well with most of the students. Clay was 28 years old when he shot himself.
Question Two
Some of the acts of altruism in the video include that of the Clay trying to help other people even though he was still going through a lot himself. Ride to Recovery is a group that works towards preventing soldier suicide (CBS News, 2013). Altruism helps reduce depression since it gives a patient a sense of purpose.
Question Three
Strenuous activity helps patients with PTSD and depression since it helps them get their minds of the events that cause depression, and they are also able to sleep better since they become physically tired. It helped Clay and other cyclists since he could move on after and get a new job and girlfriend.
Question Four
Master sergeant Christian Marckesano killed himself on July 6, 2020, right in front of his wife. He was still on active duty. Most of the family and friends said that Christian was suffering from PTSD from the events in Afghanistan, where he was deployed in 2009.
Question Five
Clay and Christian are among the 22 soldiers who take their life each day, mainly because of PTSD. One of the main reasons this may be the case is the country’s neglect of the soldiers after coming home from such encounters. One way that soldier suicide can be prevented is through the government ensuring that soldiers have access to mental health care (Paige et al. 2019). This is especially important when the soldiers are transitioning since the risk of suicide is higher than.
PTSD and depression among soldiers can be treated by engaging the soldiers in trauma-focused therapies that especially meant to help them change unhelpful beliefs. Soldier suicide is on the rise as many soldiers take their lives every day due to the trauma experienced in wars, and therefore it should be a matter that is given heavy consideration. The government and the community should come up with interventions that help reduce the rate of soldier suicide.
References
CBS News. (2013, March 4). The life and death of Clay Hunt – YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poxKILRDvCA
Paige, L. et al. (2019). Deployment trauma and seeking treatment for PTSD in US soldiers. Military Psychology, 31(1), 26-34.https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2018.1525219