Veterans, Brain Injuries, and Suicide
Understanding the Hidden Connection
It’s well-known that veterans have a higher risk of suicide than the general population, but the causes are complex and often unclear. However, research has indicated that one significant contributing factor is traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
That’s the focus of a recently introduced bill in Congress, as Military.com reported. The proposed legislation called the Precision Brain Health Research Act, would direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Academies of Science to conduct a 10-year study on the ways brain injuries affect veterans’ mental health, including suicide risk and explore ways to improve diagnosis and care.
How service members experience traumatic brain injuries
A traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. Most TBIs are closed-head injuries, meaning they are caused by a blunt impact or violent movement of the head. A concussion is a type of mild closed-head injury, but “mild” is a relative term when you’re talking about TBI—no brain injury is truly minor.
The other type of TBI is a penetrating head injury, in which an object, such as a bullet or piece of shrapnel, pierces the skull and directly damages the brain.
Members of the military can suffer TBIs in combat, often due to explosions and other head impacts during combat. However, according to Military.com, approximately 80% of brain injuries happen outside deployments. They can occur in vehicle accidents, during training exercises, or even just from being close to the discharge of a big gun or artillery piece.
Moreover, service members can experience the cumulative impact of many concussions over time, leading to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—a phenomenon that is perhaps best known in professional athletes but affects many veterans as well. Studies have shown that veterans are at an elevated risk of CTE, and it often co-occurs with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Traumatic brain injuries in veterans are one part of a larger story
The last point above bears repeating: often, neurological injuries such as brain injuries co-occur with psychological issues such as PTSD. And those conditions are in turn layered on top of the various stresses that military life puts on service members, such as frequent relocations and long deployments away from family and friends, not to mention the often-difficult transition from military to civilian life.
In other words, there are many interconnected causes of suicide risk in veterans, and each of those causes merits close study and attention. Ultimately, getting our nation’s veteran suicide crisis under control will require an all-hands-on-deck approach, including efforts by friends and family members, advocacy organizations, and the healthcare system. In particular, medical professionals who treat patients at risk of suicide should take veteran status into account when assessing suicide risk and recommending treatment and interventions.
Our law firm proudly stands up for grieving families
Deaths by suicide have many causes, and the better understood those causes are, the more effectively we’ll be able to save lives. However, understanding is only one piece: medical professionals need to take appropriate steps to prevent their patients from dying by suicide. When they fail to follow standards of care, we hold them accountable.
If you’ve lost a loved one to suicide completion, we will listen to your story and explain your options. Our law firm is based in Texas but serves families throughout the United States. Contact the Law Offices of Skip Simpson for a free, confidential consultation.