According to Janet Hemp, national suicide prevention coordinator of the Veteran Affairs Department, over 22,000 veterans sought the assistance of stress experts by calling the suicide hot line for the past year. Because of the timely intervention, 1,221 suicides have been prevented.
The report confirms a previous study by Rand Corporation that one-fifths of returning soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The tendency to commit suicide is more rampant among male veterans than male non-veterans, a Portland State University study said.
The hot line was set up by the VA, together with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. So far $2.9 million has been spent on the hot line, which now gets an average of 250 calls a day, up from the 125 it used to receive when the facility was established a year ago.
Annually, 6,500 war veterans commit suicide, according to the VA.
To encourage more veterans to seek professional help with their stress and depression, the VA launched an advertising campaign through subways and buses plying the Washington area with posters and other materials emblazoned with the slogan, "It takes the courage and strength of a warrior to ask for help."
As more troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, the VA expects to receive more calls from war veterans seeking assistance with their problems. To meet the expected rise in demand for its services, the VA plans to add 212 more people to man its suicide hot lines.
