Patricia S. There has been a great increase in the rate of suicides in the military. One of the biggest barriers for veterans to seek help are the features linked with the military such as portraying dominance and having no fear. Veterans who seek help are intimidated by the negative connotations correlated with such act. Society expects soldiers to remain perfectly normal mentally and physically after experiencing a war. Proper interventions that help guide soldiers have been proven to alleviate and prevent severe problems such as PTSD, but the stigmas correlated with the profession inhibit individuals to seek help. Within the military culture those who seek help are oppressed due to societal norms emphasizing the strength of soldiers despite their traumatic experiences. Soldiers have to conform to societal norms perpetuating mental illness due to late intervention. The social construction of "machismo" among soldiers are increasing their vulnerability to abnormal mental states. Society views aid negatively forcing veterans not to seek help harming their health. These soliders have risked their lives for their country and society rejects them once they are ready to reintegrate leading to suicide affecting many families and children who are left behind. Children and families exposed to untreated individuals are at risk because they are under no help to alleviate their condition triggering dangerous acts. The population is greater at risk for these type of undiagnosed individuals who can plan an attack or commit dangerous elicit activities because of their untreated condition. The social construction associated with the military is affecting the safety of society as a whole. An interactionalist would state that society views aid as a form of weakness because we have learned to function in such way. The media has imposed strength as a characteristical feature for military personnel. Through advertisements society stigmatizes soldiers as unbreakable, people who are not common. Soldiers do up-hale such recognition but they are still human beings despite their courageousness. We have created the faulty idea that soldiers are indestructible as a social norm. Soldiers have the right as any one else to want to seek help for their well-being. Once a solider insights abnormal behavior their up-haled position is removed diminishing their importance in society. Society needs to recognize the importance of self-care for soldiers to help create awareness for their well-being. Treating soldiers as human beings can create positive reinforcements for these individuals to seek early intervention diminishing suicidal effects that harm their families and children.
In my point of view I feel that society has imposed too restricted obligations on the military. Despite their servitude to the country these individuals are still human beings with feelings and emotions these features are not removed because of their profession. One solution can be that military officials can advertise veterans seeking help at proper institutions and portraying the same value of importance and pride as those who don't. Commercials with testimonials from other veterans can encourage those in hardships to seek help and improve their well-being. Veterans reflect courage despite any condition they can present. Military officials should advocate for better allocated services to provide veterans with the best types of interventions. The military should also encourage veterans to seek help when they feel any symptoms and should not experience shame, this can help prevent many hazardous situations for society. Work shops can help teach veterans about the many conditions they can encounter and how to seek help with the appropriate discrepancy. The goal is for them to obtain help and not just want the military to maintain a rigorous reputation that can lead to serious mental issues. Information and changing the view of the military can create a culture of positive ways to cope with trauma that can eliminate serious effects within these individuals protecting the safety of all.
Tayler B. The suicide rate in the army has increased throughout the years. There are many reasons why the soldiers that are suicidal. Many of them don’t seek treatment because of fear. They are afraid of what the other soldiers will say. The stigma they believe that they will be placed with is one of being “weak” or “wuss”. When people think of a solider they think of someone who is strong so the soliders want to live up to that image. Many soldiers who have and even haven’t been on the battlefield suffer from mental injuries. An functionalist would want a soldier to go to treatment to improve their mental state. They would say the each soldier is extremely important to the whole military. A solider who goes to receive treatment for a mental issue would be a good thing to a functionalist. They would be getting help so they would be able to deal with their issues and continue to serve our country so courageously. I feel that these people have done a great service to our country but it came at a cost. They have suffered and experienced things that are unimaginable to some of us. It is sad that some of these brave men and women see that getting help as a weakness. I think that a way for this problem to start to get better is to reestablish the image of a soldier. We can still show how strong and brave they are but we can also show their humanity and remind people that they are humans and aren’t invincible.
Theresa M. The problem here is the increase of suicide in the military that comes from soldiers not seeking the proper help needed for them to move past their issues. This problem stems from the soldier’s suffering both physically and mentally during tours but do not seek help due to the military’s negative stigma related to it. The military is viewed to be strong and as macho warriors. Therefore, they should be able to stay strong both physically and mentally. Or at least that is how soldiers believe it is and how society itself views the military. It is because of this that soldiers are afraid to get help; they believe that in doing so they will be viewed as weak and be made fun of. When they do not receive any help all those feelings, their anxiety and depression catches up to them until they finally explode. The soldiers are subjected to horrors during war that can disrupt both their physical and mentality. This becomes a problem for when the soldier tries to reintegrate to society. They have become used to the violence and have a harder time dealing with what would be considered normal. They become a danger both to themselves and to those around them if they continue to go on with their problems and not seek help.
A functionalist would say that it is essential for all members of society to be able to function properly for society to continue to function as normal. Therefore, the soldier will have to be labeled as ill, a nonfunctioning member of society. By taking on this role, the soldier will be able to seek the proper help in order to become better again and once again join society once they have received the help they need. Mental illness would be considered a dysfunction to society in that it prevents the member of society to perform needed social roles.
The army should encourage their soldiers to seek help and should focus more on removing the negative stigma that comes with mental health issues. I think the high rates of suicide are in part because they feel they can turn to no one due to the negative views that exist within the military. The army should add counseling to their training regimes. They should also focus on getting help for their soldiers before and after they are deployed. If they spoke more to the soldiers about mental health issues and suicide and anything related, soldiers would be more incline to seek help if needed to. The image of the military should also be changed. They should refocus their image so that seeking help is not viewed as a sign of weakness. In my opinion it takes a lot of courage to admit something is wrong with themselves, and even more courage to seek the proper help to get better.
In this NPR news clip they discuss the growing rate of suicide in the military. A mental health issue that has gotten exponentially worse since 2004. This has become a major social problem because of the large number of people it effects. Before 2004 the rate of suicide in the military was much lower than the civilian side but now it has skyrocketed. The conventional theory that suicide rates increased because of combat deployments does not hold strong. Many of the people that commit suicide or attempt to have never deployed or seen combat. This mental health issue in the military is especially difficult because of the stigmas of getting help. In the military culture weakness is unacceptable and to get help or even to admit that you have a problem can be life altering. One can lose respect and be labeled a "wuss" for a lack of a better work.
The functionalist perspective best covers this issue because it provides the clearest understanding of it. According to a functionalist the cause of suicide in the military is because of the detachment from society. The military is a distinct and difficult culture and because of the contract one signs to get in it has no easy way out. Some fail to integrate into it and turn to suicide as an option. Another theory is that they integrate so well into it that they lose their connection to the civilian society. Once out of the military they feel ostracized and unwanted. This also pushes some to suicide. Of course a functionalist would also see this as functional for society. They might see it as a necessary evil. To expect men to fight a war and to kill on sight requires a harsh culture and training. A place where weakness is not tolerated. A society with a weak military does not last long.
I think this issue has much deeper roots than most would like to admit. Being in the military is not a job it is a lifestyle. There are not breaks other than a 10 to 15 day leave a year. The rest of the time you are entrenched in the lifestyle. It is very difficult even for those that do admin jobs. This forces people to adopt to things that normal people never have to. I chose to write on this topic because I have also lost some friends to suicide. Guys I would never have expected to go through with it. They never talked about it or even hinted at it. I lost more marine friends to suicide than in the 2 war zones combined. The only solution I can think of is a total revamp of the military. I don't think this is possible The best we can do is to encourage troops to get help and to remove the stigmas around it.
Mental illness is itself a prevalent issue in society, which not only affects individuals diagnosed; it also jeopardizes our social institutions. Families try to cope with their loved ones’ symptoms and the impacts they may have on them, and the justice system has to deal with one crime after another committed by unstable individuals who can barely manage their own lives. With all at stakes however, now seeking help for mental illness has become a separate social issue of its own. The stigma imposed on patients by society prevents them from resolving their issues and as argued by functionalists, disrupts the social structure of the world. While tackling this issue is difficult enough for the civilian society, it is even more complicated when it comes to the military setting. This is because with our interactionist glasses, we see a built-in image of the indestructible hero who can fight against the world to protect our country, and our view in no way accepts weakness as a part of that ideal persona. The problem is that society wants to cure mental illnesses in the military setting by denying that the issue even exists, which leads to additional and more severe conditions. Soldiers are expected to face war, witness death, suffer severe injuries, face sexual assault and then brush it all off and report back to service as if nothing ever happened. Functionalists as mentioned before believe in the fact that everything has a function in society and that all institutions work to make up a social structure. Thus, Talcott Parsons’ theory of the sick role can apply to the issue of mental illness in the military. According to this concept, sick individuals are not required to comply with their usual social roles, but they have to seek treatment. Functionalists would argue that soldiers with mental illnesses are no longer useful members of society and that their conditions would disrupt social function. Still, this line of reasoning contradicts with their own belief that these soldiers should seek help. In addition, Emile Durkheim’s typology of suicides relates to the aftermath of untreated mental illnesses. His idea of the altruistic suicide explains that the act is committed because society’s needs surpass those of an individual’s; hence, people kill themselves for the greater good. Along with other functionalist, he would mention that soldiers serving in the military commit suicide as an act of sacrifice for their country, which implies heroism. Therefore, seeking help would probably mean weakness to him. Also, it is important to note that these sociologists may also view survivor’s guilt as a reason behind suicide committed by veterans that can be classified as altruistic. Personally, the topic of mental illness in the military reminded me of The Invisible War documentary, which addresses the issue of sexual assault in this setting. The film focuses on the psychological effects of this violent act on the victims including post traumatic stress disorder, which is in fact a leading cause of veteran suicides. As far as solutions are concerned regarding the stigmatization of seeking help for mental illness, we must first acknowledge that the issue arises from society’s faulty perception of what strength really is. In fact, asking for help is not a sign of weakness simply because of the great courage it takes to even step in that direction. I probably couldn’t propose a strategic plan to resolve such a complex social issue; however, I do believe that education can help change society’s view, encouraging treatment options rather than instilling in victims the fear of being ridiculed.
Fabiola B. The problem here is that there has been an increase of suicides in the U.S military. The army is based on a macho warrior culture so that gives soldiers the idea that they need to be strong no matter what. soldiers experience traumatic events that harm them mentally and physically. some soldiers result with ptsd, depression, and anxiety but most soldiers do not seek help because they feel that they would be labeled as weak or a wimp. They feel that they need to ignore the fact that they are ill and keep serving their country to make society proud.
A functionalist would say that a soldier with an mental illness is not functional in society. therefore they must seek help to recover and adapt back into society. after getting help you will be functional in society and return to the social norms. Also a functionalist would apply the Durkheim theory on suicide. altruistic suicide in the army is to be seen as a soldier would sacrifice himself because he feels that something else is greater. and the one that results more is that i saw with the soldier who gave his story is anomic suicide. after a soldier leaves war and goes back home they dont adapt to society very well because its a major change of their surroundings. they feel confused, guilty, and dont know how to handle these major changes and it leads up to them feeling that they need to take their own life to make this feeling go away.
i do not like this whole "machismo" ideals that society puts upon certain groups or members of the world because they just put something or someone at a high standard and when they fail they do not know what to do or think of themselves because they have this idea of being strong and never weak planted in their minds. the military should have some sort of counseling go on before someone enters the army advising them that they will experience certain situations that will scar them for life and speak more of getting help if they ever feel like they have to. the media should also advertise this to let society know that yes the army has strong individuals but its not easy and some individuals need to seek some sort of mental treatment after these events.
I agree with what Theresa says about the military being viewed as "strong". From an interactionist perspective the military is labeled as strong, brave, and disciplined. As a society I think it makes it hard for us to believe that these soldiers do need help after they return from war. We have this idea that they are well trained and can handle anything. But what we forget is that they are the ones who are and were trying to survive and make it back home. They have to endure the trauma of war and people dying in front of them. Veterans who return home should not be ashamed nor should they be seen any differently if they do decide to seek help after combat. To me it would only make sense if they did. If I had to experience what they had to I would want to go talk to someone. As a solution I think that anyone who is enlisted in the military should have seeing a psychologist or a doctor as a requirement after returning from combat. No soldier should try committing suicide just because they are afraid of being labeled as weak for doing so. This is a social problem because the military is creating this image that isn't real. They make human beings seem not human. Which is already leading veterans to commit suicide because they don't want to seek professional help due to the fear of ruining that image.
I agreed with Fabiola B., just as she said there is an increase in suicide in the U.S. military soldiers mostly because they don’t seek help. She does an amazing job of analyzing the topic and emphasizing the main points. Also her brief yet on point comment caught my attention. I think this is a very important topic; we often ignore the issues of military and view military as a separate society itself. Soldiers are important part of our society and we will forever be grateful for their service. They have done their job and now the society should take care of them and be concern about their wellbeing. Mostly soldiers commit suicide because of being unable to find their role in our society. Soldiers develop many forms of mental illnesses which can lead to many other severe problems such as drug and alcohol dependency, homelessness and unemployment. Interactionalist would say that society has a huge influence on a person’s behavior or decision-making. I think internationalist perspective will be a suitable theory to apply to this problem. Interactionalist believe that a person forms a definition of a certain illness based on public opinion, for example it has become a standard that soldiers have to be strong and if they seek help it will be understood as a sign of weakness which is unsuitable for a solider. Just as it was said in the article most soldiers don’t seek help because the society expects them to be tough. Society has formed this “macho” image of soldiers and it became the norm. Interactionalist would say that problems occur because we become influenced by the human interaction. Therefore we can conclude that solider are being influenced or in a way forced to represent an imagine that society has created for them. Often they don’t seek help for their PTSD, depression or other forms of mental illnesses because the society enforces and expects them not to. When soldiers don’t seek help some committee suicide but other live with guilt and find themselves addicted to drugs or alcohol without job or shelter living on the streets. If we encourage our veterans to seek help we are helping them to find their path of life and also we prevent further social problems. The only solution that I think will help is if we as society become more supportive and encourage not only to soldiers but also everyone else to seek help if needed. I think the government should enforce returning veterans to be in therapy for at least six months, during the therapy the soldiers will have the opportunity to express their feeling and hopefully will understands that suicide is not the solution to their problem. The therapy will help them to overcome their mental illness and think about their future. Also we should demonstrate to the public by using press or media that seeking help doesn't make a person “weak”; everyone needs help and one should never be humiliated to ask for one.
I do not agree completely with what Fabiola said. Suicide is neither the sole problem nor is it a new one. Suicide has been a dysfunction that accompanies wars and traumatic events for centuries. In fact, more often than not, on average there have been more deaths from suicide than from combat. Also, in actuality, post traumatic stress disorder, like all mental illnesses, serves a function in society. Mentally ill patients provide jobs in many health and safety sectors, such as law enforcement or therapy. So, from the functionalist perspective, post traumatic stress disorder and suicide both serve a purpose. I chose to comment on this response because it was a good attempt to analyze PTSD and suicide from a functionalist point of view, but it was incomplete. I truly believe that suicide is a social problem. When people begin to believe that ending their life is the only method of ending their pain, society fails one of its most important aspects: it must function. Suicide, whether due to combat stress or any other trauma, is a serious cause for concern. Society as a whole condemns murder, but many people are almost pushed towards suicide. If society views mental illness as the inability to remain sane, then by society's definition it is insane. From the symbolic interactionist perspective, the stigmatization that accompanies asking for help from others is not exclusive to the military, and it does not originate while individuals are adults. To interactionists, society learns its values during the early stages of socialization. Thus, individuals learn to stigmatize the need for help while they are children. Children learn their gender approved behaviors and values from the socializing agents that surround them, so the belief that soldiers should not seek medical attention originated from a previous generation. The belief persists, along with its consequences, because children are still being taught androcentric values. This leads me to my solution. Fabiola previously stated that individuals must be warned about the traumatic events that may accompany their tour. However, many individuals have the machismo personality instilled into their character, so advertisements and pre-war counseling may not provide much, if any leeway in reducing suicides or PTSD. If suicide is to be stopped, individuals must already believe that seeking medical attention when they need it is more important than avoiding social stigmatization. This would require that a new, androgynous belief system would have to replace our androcentric system. To prevent the grown of thorns, one must uproot the entire hedge, not simply trim it when it is getting in the way. If society wishes to fix real, social problems, it must be willing to provide real solutions.
Jennifer M. In response to Theresa M. I do agree with her with the fact that military people cannot go out and seek help without being looked down upon because the people in the military are suppose to be the strong. While I was reading this, I was reminded of my uncle who is in the navy and has gone to do two tours in Iraq. My uncle is known as the manly man in the house and never once have I heard that he has gone for help. He seems to be fine, but only he knows after doing those two tours. Why do you say this is a problem. It is a problem because this is happening to real people who have families and after being in a traumatizing situation like a war in Iraq these people come home thinking that everything will just be the same. But after a while they come to realize that things aren’t the same and they are dealing with different types of issues whether it is mental health or physical health, but because they feel as they are going to be judged and seen as weak for looking for help they just go about their life not doing anything about it. And at the very end, the problem gets worse and they end up hurting themselves or acting in a violent way.
An interactionist would say that we learn to label the military as the strong ones and the ones that are invisible from society and the people around us. And i learned from a young age that they are not weak and that they don't need help because they are trained to beat anyone who comes their way. We also have been taught to look down at people in the military if they go out and seek help. Not only do we look down at the people in military but we also look down on men if they do the same as well. We grow up with this ideology because it is what we learn from our peers and our family.
Her proposed solution is not that realistic and it is because of the fact that you can never really change how everyone looks at the military. They have always looked at them as if they are suppose to be strong and it will take many years for their ideology to change. I think that the best solution is not to recommend them to seek help after their tours but instead make it mandatory for them to go and check their mental and physical health and have them monitored for a couple of months and have weekly check ups. I think this would be better because in a way they would check and see if anyone is sick and they could probably help them sooner than later.
I agree with Theresa M. point of view regarding the rise in suicide in soldiers because of mental and physical issues in the military. This has become an enormous issue since 9/11. Soldiers often experience harm, physically and mentally when they are in war. Moreover, soldiers are portrayed as strong and thick skin. However, they often go back to the home with mental and physical problems. They do not pursue help, knowing they may cause negative consequences to themselves, community, or to their own family. They believe that their mental and physical problems are normal, since they come with a mentality that seeking for help is not proper. Theresa’s descriptions on the various issues soldiers often suffer, such as, depression, anxiety, and anger stood out to me. For instance, wives and children often do not know how to cope with their husband or fathers physical and metal issues. In many cases this causes arguments and distance between families. I chose this topic because our country is now being portrayed with many soldiers having both physical and mental problems. They go through harmful and hurtful experiences, which cause them to develop health and mental health problems. On the other hand, their pride will not let themselves get out of them.
An interactionist theorist would say that they have experienced so many negative consequences during combat that they can deal with anything. Based on their peer interactions, soldiers tend to often stay with their mental and physical problems. However, if they get support from their family, they would probably get out of the “sick role”. Soldiers are labeled as strong, so they tend to behave how society thinks they should behave. I believe that more and more soldiers are coming back to the United States with mental problems than physical. They are placed in a place with violence and when they come back home, they still have that mentality. It must be very difficult for them to recuperate and change their behavior. I believe Theresa’s solutions is a great way encourage soldiers to seek for help regarding their mental problems. Providing them therapy before they go back home will eventually open their minds and realize that the negative stigma is not the right way to approach issues. In my opinion, I think soldiers should be surrounded in a, hopeful, stable, loving, and safe home and community to overcome all the negative things they go through at war. They should fallow the recovery model, so they can seek help with their mental or physical issues.
I found myself nodding in agreement with nearly every line of his post. In my opinion, many people are either ignorant or unwilling to acknowledge the seriousness of mental illness and the genuine distress it causes sufferers--especially those who have experienced first-hand the horrors of war. I agree with what he said about society's idea of the model soldier: that they are the indestructible hero. This is a completely unrealistic and unfounded idea, though. Soldiers are just ordinary people who chose to serve to better the interests of this country and of themselves; they're still subject to the same emotional responses and stresses that the rest of us do. I also agree that denial of mental illness is a huge problem, and this willful ignorance hinders efforts to reduce the stigma associated with individuals who are genuinely hurting as a result of mental illness, making them reluctant to reach out for help (and therefore, more likely to become desperate enough to attempt suicide). I chose to reply to his comment because it seemed like the most level-headed approach to the social problem presented, and it showed both macro- and micro-level impacts that mental illness produces in society. I also chose to comment on this specific issue because I think there's a very unhealthy "hush-hush mentality" about mental illness and emotional instability that really needs to be addressed if suicide rates are going to decline.
Given that this issue deals directly with war, I think a conflict theorist's perspective would be especially insightful here. A conflict theorist view wars as struggles between the powerful leaders of society, fought at the expense of the subordinate civilian population. Any mental distress caused by these power struggles is simply collateral damage. The hush-hush mentality I mentioned before serves to alienate these individuals from any help they could potentially receive, and when they finally can't take it anymore, they either explode in some outward display of violence or internalize it and attempt suicide. Either way, they are stigmatized in society and are unable to fight off this label (although, admittedly, that's much more of an interactionist idea). At the end of the day, though, these alienated individuals are divided and conquered, and those in power who sent them to war to begin with sit back and enjoy the spoils won at the soldiers' expense.
I agree with Kaghsrik about the need to reassess what really constitutes "strength" in order to bring awareness and help to those who suffer from mental illness as a result of war. I also agree that it's difficult to propose a feasible solution to such a multi-faceted problem. However, I think it would really help if therapy and support groups were de-stigmatized (and instead viewed as safehouses) so that people who legitimately want and need help can get it without having to worry about social condemnation and judgment.
I appreciated what Vazgen has to say about this issue of mental health and suicide in the military. The reason I chose to respond to his specifically is because rather than speculation, his comments are based in actual life experiences. I thought that the comment regarding military lifestyle, rather than simply the occupation, was an important one. I think that is a key component in why this issue is such a tough nut to crack. When a soldier is being stigmatized or ostracized in any way by the military, it is not the same as someone being picked on at work. It is almost as if soldier becomes a master status, therefore how other soldiers treat one another becomes that much more important. I would imagine that it carries much more weight and depth when a fellow infantryman calls you a wuss, than when a coworker would at a different type of job.
I think that an Interactionist might discuss this issue of labeling. Why is it that the military chooses to label certain neuroses as weak? What about PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc., is causing men and women to suppress their true experience and present a false image. I would assume that an Interactionist might see whether or not the label is learned socially. How does this become the norm, is simply what has always gone on or is there a push in the recent past from some group or individual that is facilitating this trend?
I think that the proposition of de-stigmatization is a good one. I think some more specific ideas would be helpful in this case. I agree with Vazgen when he says that a total revamp is not feasible—it’s not. What I think could be useful is mandatory therapy for soldiers. Whether it be group, individual, or both, I think that we need to give soldiers a venue to release at least some of the pressure that they are under whether they are in combat or not. I think that this could have an impact on both suicide and mental health-related issues, but also the more grandiose gestures like mass shootings at bases. Talking is like a medicine to the human brain and it is unrealistic to expect soldiers who are under record levels of stress to simply be able to “handle it” because they are “tough”.
I agree with Vazgen because with him being in the military, he probably has dealt with this issue first hand. When he says being in the military is not a job but rather a lifestyle I agree. Especially in the case of war, it’s not like you can go and fight for 8 hours then come home to your family and live a “normal” life then go back to war the next day. These realities these soldiers face everyday are inescapable. But, instead of trying to escape these issues, there should be better ways to help soldiers cope with what they’ve seen and experienced themselves. From the interactionist perspective, soldiers are afraid to get help because they might be considered a “wuss”. An interactionist could say we need to change the way we interact and look at soldiers. Yes, they are very brave and heroic but they are still people. If a regular person saw their friend get shot, society would see it as totally acceptable for them to get the help they need, but not a soldier? There’s no difference, we are all people. Soldiers should never be looked down upon for getting treatment or help. If you make more programs that help soldiers who need it and make it a standard part of being a soldier than I believe soldiers wouldn’t worry about getting looked down upon when they receive help.
I totally agree with you that in order to reduce the sucidal rates in soldiers is based on them as feeling they have identity to with hold, but I believe that this problem can be explained better through the interactionist perspective. If the military let them know right from the start and had them receive therapy from the beginning of the first symptoms maybe things would be different. Like you said, soldiers are thought of as being strong and as warriors. They are defining themselves in that way, as well as everyone else around them. People believe these soldiers are impenetrable yet, they become the most vulnerable after suffering trauma day after day.
I think the removal of the stigma of mental illness not only starts with the military but the way the society defines it as a whole. That can only be removed if the symbols or interactions about mental illness are changed.
16 comments:
Patricia S.
There has been a great increase in the rate of suicides in the military. One of the biggest barriers for veterans to seek help are the features linked with the military such as portraying dominance and having no fear. Veterans who seek help are intimidated by the negative connotations correlated with such act. Society expects soldiers to remain perfectly normal mentally and physically after experiencing a war. Proper interventions that help guide soldiers have been proven to alleviate and prevent severe problems such as PTSD, but the stigmas correlated with the profession inhibit individuals to seek help. Within the military culture those who seek help are oppressed due to societal norms emphasizing the strength of soldiers despite their traumatic experiences. Soldiers have to conform to societal norms perpetuating mental illness due to late intervention. The social construction of "machismo" among soldiers are increasing their vulnerability to abnormal mental states. Society views aid negatively forcing veterans not to seek help harming their health. These soliders have risked their lives for their country and society rejects them once they are ready to reintegrate leading to suicide affecting many families and children who are left behind. Children and families exposed to untreated individuals are at risk because they are under no help to alleviate their condition triggering dangerous acts. The population is greater at risk for these type of undiagnosed individuals who can plan an attack or commit dangerous elicit activities because of their untreated condition. The social construction associated with the military is affecting the safety of society as a whole.
An interactionalist would state that society views aid as a form of weakness because we have learned to function in such way. The media has imposed strength as a characteristical feature for military personnel. Through advertisements society stigmatizes soldiers as unbreakable, people who are not common. Soldiers do up-hale such recognition but they are still human beings despite their courageousness. We have created the faulty idea that soldiers are indestructible as a social norm. Soldiers have the right as any one else to want to seek help for their well-being. Once a solider insights abnormal behavior their up-haled position is removed diminishing their importance in society. Society needs to recognize the importance of self-care for soldiers to help create awareness for their well-being. Treating soldiers as human beings can create positive reinforcements for these individuals to seek early intervention diminishing suicidal effects that harm their families and children.
Patricia S. Continuation...
In my point of view I feel that society has imposed too restricted obligations on the military. Despite their servitude to the country these individuals are still human beings with feelings and emotions these features are not removed because of their profession. One solution can be that military officials can advertise veterans seeking help at proper institutions and portraying the same value of importance and pride as those who don't. Commercials with testimonials from other veterans can encourage those in hardships to seek help and improve their well-being. Veterans reflect courage despite any condition they can present. Military officials should advocate for better allocated services to provide veterans with the best types of interventions. The military should also encourage veterans to seek help when they feel any symptoms and should not experience shame, this can help prevent many hazardous situations for society. Work shops can help teach veterans about the many conditions they can encounter and how to seek help with the appropriate discrepancy. The goal is for them to obtain help and not just want the military to maintain a rigorous reputation that can lead to serious mental issues. Information and changing the view of the military can create a culture of positive ways to cope with trauma that can eliminate serious effects within these individuals protecting the safety of all.
Tayler B.
The suicide rate in the army has increased throughout the years. There are many reasons why the soldiers that are suicidal. Many of them don’t seek treatment because of fear. They are afraid of what the other soldiers will say. The stigma they believe that they will be placed with is one of being “weak” or “wuss”. When people think of a solider they think of someone who is strong so the soliders want to live up to that image. Many soldiers who have and even haven’t been on the battlefield suffer from mental injuries. An functionalist would want a soldier to go to treatment to improve their mental state. They would say the each soldier is extremely important to the whole military. A solider who goes to receive treatment for a mental issue would be a good thing to a functionalist. They would be getting help so they would be able to deal with their issues and continue to serve our country so courageously. I feel that these people have done a great service to our country but it came at a cost. They have suffered and experienced things that are unimaginable to some of us. It is sad that some of these brave men and women see that getting help as a weakness. I think that a way for this problem to start to get better is to reestablish the image of a soldier. We can still show how strong and brave they are but we can also show their humanity and remind people that they are humans and aren’t invincible.
Theresa M.
The problem here is the increase of suicide in the military that comes from soldiers not seeking the proper help needed for them to move past their issues. This problem stems from the soldier’s suffering both physically and mentally during tours but do not seek help due to the military’s negative stigma related to it. The military is viewed to be strong and as macho warriors. Therefore, they should be able to stay strong both physically and mentally. Or at least that is how soldiers believe it is and how society itself views the military. It is because of this that soldiers are afraid to get help; they believe that in doing so they will be viewed as weak and be made fun of. When they do not receive any help all those feelings, their anxiety and depression catches up to them until they finally explode. The soldiers are subjected to horrors during war that can disrupt both their physical and mentality. This becomes a problem for when the soldier tries to reintegrate to society. They have become used to the violence and have a harder time dealing with what would be considered normal. They become a danger both to themselves and to those around them if they continue to go on with their problems and not seek help.
A functionalist would say that it is essential for all members of society to be able to function properly for society to continue to function as normal. Therefore, the soldier will have to be labeled as ill, a nonfunctioning member of society. By taking on this role, the soldier will be able to seek the proper help in order to become better again and once again join society once they have received the help they need. Mental illness would be considered a dysfunction to society in that it prevents the member of society to perform needed social roles.
The army should encourage their soldiers to seek help and should focus more on removing the negative stigma that comes with mental health issues. I think the high rates of suicide are in part because they feel they can turn to no one due to the negative views that exist within the military. The army should add counseling to their training regimes. They should also focus on getting help for their soldiers before and after they are deployed. If they spoke more to the soldiers about mental health issues and suicide and anything related, soldiers would be more incline to seek help if needed to. The image of the military should also be changed. They should refocus their image so that seeking help is not viewed as a sign of weakness. In my opinion it takes a lot of courage to admit something is wrong with themselves, and even more courage to seek the proper help to get better.
Vazgen M.
In this NPR news clip they discuss the growing rate of suicide in the military. A mental health issue that has gotten exponentially worse since 2004. This has become a major social problem because of the large number of people it effects. Before 2004 the rate of suicide in the military was much lower than the civilian side but now it has skyrocketed. The conventional theory that suicide rates increased because of combat deployments does not hold strong. Many of the people that commit suicide or attempt to have never deployed or seen combat. This mental health issue in the military is especially difficult because of the stigmas of getting help. In the military culture weakness is unacceptable and to get help or even to admit that you have a problem can be life altering. One can lose respect and be labeled a "wuss" for a lack of a better work.
The functionalist perspective best covers this issue because it provides the clearest understanding of it. According to a functionalist the cause of suicide in the military is because of the detachment from society. The military is a distinct and difficult culture and because of the contract one signs to get in it has no easy way out. Some fail to integrate into it and turn to suicide as an option. Another theory is that they integrate so well into it that they lose their connection to the civilian society. Once out of the military they feel ostracized and unwanted. This also pushes some to suicide. Of course a functionalist would also see this as functional for society. They might see it as a necessary evil. To expect men to fight a war and to kill on sight requires a harsh culture and training. A place where weakness is not tolerated. A society with a weak military does not last long.
I think this issue has much deeper roots than most would like to admit. Being in the military is not a job it is a lifestyle. There are not breaks other than a 10 to 15 day leave a year. The rest of the time you are entrenched in the lifestyle. It is very difficult even for those that do admin jobs. This forces people to adopt to things that normal people never have to. I chose to write on this topic because I have also lost some friends to suicide. Guys I would never have expected to go through with it. They never talked about it or even hinted at it. I lost more marine friends to suicide than in the 2 war zones combined. The only solution I can think of is a total revamp of the military. I don't think this is possible The best we can do is to encourage troops to get help and to remove the stigmas around it.
Mental illness is itself a prevalent issue in society, which not only affects individuals diagnosed; it also jeopardizes our social institutions. Families try to cope with their loved ones’ symptoms and the impacts they may have on them, and the justice system has to deal with one crime after another committed by unstable individuals who can barely manage their own lives. With all at stakes however, now seeking help for mental illness has become a separate social issue of its own. The stigma imposed on patients by society prevents them from resolving their issues and as argued by functionalists, disrupts the social structure of the world. While tackling this issue is difficult enough for the civilian society, it is even more complicated when it comes to the military setting. This is because with our interactionist glasses, we see a built-in image of the indestructible hero who can fight against the world to protect our country, and our view in no way accepts weakness as a part of that ideal persona. The problem is that society wants to cure mental illnesses in the military setting by denying that the issue even exists, which leads to additional and more severe conditions. Soldiers are expected to face war, witness death, suffer severe injuries, face sexual assault and then brush it all off and report back to service as if nothing ever happened.
Functionalists as mentioned before believe in the fact that everything has a function in society and that all institutions work to make up a social structure. Thus, Talcott Parsons’ theory of the sick role can apply to the issue of mental illness in the military. According to this concept, sick individuals are not required to comply with their usual social roles, but they have to seek treatment. Functionalists would argue that soldiers with mental illnesses are no longer useful members of society and that their conditions would disrupt social function. Still, this line of reasoning contradicts with their own belief that these soldiers should seek help. In addition, Emile Durkheim’s typology of suicides relates to the aftermath of untreated mental illnesses. His idea of the altruistic suicide explains that the act is committed because society’s needs surpass those of an individual’s; hence, people kill themselves for the greater good. Along with other functionalist, he would mention that soldiers serving in the military commit suicide as an act of sacrifice for their country, which implies heroism. Therefore, seeking help would probably mean weakness to him. Also, it is important to note that these sociologists may also view survivor’s guilt as a reason behind suicide committed by veterans that can be classified as altruistic.
Personally, the topic of mental illness in the military reminded me of The Invisible War documentary, which addresses the issue of sexual assault in this setting. The film focuses on the psychological effects of this violent act on the victims including post traumatic stress disorder, which is in fact a leading cause of veteran suicides. As far as solutions are concerned regarding the stigmatization of seeking help for mental illness, we must first acknowledge that the issue arises from society’s faulty perception of what strength really is. In fact, asking for help is not a sign of weakness simply because of the great courage it takes to even step in that direction. I probably couldn’t propose a strategic plan to resolve such a complex social issue; however, I do believe that education can help change society’s view, encouraging treatment options rather than instilling in victims the fear of being ridiculed.
Fabiola B.
The problem here is that there has been an increase of suicides in the U.S military. The army is based on a macho warrior culture so that gives soldiers the idea that they need to be strong no matter what. soldiers experience traumatic events that harm them mentally and physically. some soldiers result with ptsd, depression, and anxiety but most soldiers do not seek help because they feel that they would be labeled as weak or a wimp. They feel that they need to ignore the fact that they are ill and keep serving their country to make society proud.
A functionalist would say that a soldier with an mental illness is not functional in society. therefore they must seek help to recover and adapt back into society. after getting help you will be functional in society and return to the social norms. Also a functionalist would apply the Durkheim theory on suicide. altruistic suicide in the army is to be seen as a soldier would sacrifice himself because he feels that something else is greater. and the one that results more is that i saw with the soldier who gave his story is anomic suicide. after a soldier leaves war and goes back home they dont adapt to society very well because its a major change of their surroundings. they feel confused, guilty, and dont know how to handle these major changes and it leads up to them feeling that they need to take their own life to make this feeling go away.
i do not like this whole "machismo" ideals that society puts upon certain groups or members of the world because they just put something or someone at a high standard and when they fail they do not know what to do or think of themselves because they have this idea of being strong and never weak planted in their minds. the military should have some sort of counseling go on before someone enters the army advising them that they will experience certain situations that will scar them for life and speak more of getting help if they ever feel like they have to. the media should also advertise this to let society know that yes the army has strong individuals but its not easy and some individuals need to seek some sort of mental treatment after these events.
Juliana D.
I agree with what Theresa says about the military being viewed as "strong". From an interactionist perspective the military is labeled as strong, brave, and disciplined. As a society I think it makes it hard for us to believe that these soldiers do need help after they return from war. We have this idea that they are well trained and can handle anything. But what we forget is that they are the ones who are and were trying to survive and make it back home. They have to endure the trauma of war and people dying in front of them. Veterans who return home should not be ashamed nor should they be seen any differently if they do decide to seek help after combat. To me it would only make sense if they did. If I had to experience what they had to I would want to go talk to someone. As a solution I think that anyone who is enlisted in the military should have seeing a psychologist or a doctor as a requirement after returning from combat. No soldier should try committing suicide just because they are afraid of being labeled as weak for doing so. This is a social problem because the military is creating this image that isn't real. They make human beings seem not human. Which is already leading veterans to commit suicide because they don't want to seek professional help due to the fear of ruining that image.
I agreed with Fabiola B., just as she said there is an increase in suicide in the U.S. military soldiers mostly because they don’t seek help. She does an amazing job of analyzing the topic and emphasizing the main points. Also her brief yet on point comment caught my attention. I think this is a very important topic; we often ignore the issues of military and view military as a separate society itself. Soldiers are important part of our society and we will forever be grateful for their service. They have done their job and now the society should take care of them and be concern about their wellbeing. Mostly soldiers commit suicide because of being unable to find their role in our society. Soldiers develop many forms of mental illnesses which can lead to many other severe problems such as drug and alcohol dependency, homelessness and unemployment.
Interactionalist would say that society has a huge influence on a person’s behavior or decision-making. I think internationalist perspective will be a suitable theory to apply to this problem. Interactionalist believe that a person forms a definition of a certain illness based on public opinion, for example it has become a standard that soldiers have to be strong and if they seek help it will be understood as a sign of weakness which is unsuitable for a solider. Just as it was said in the article most soldiers don’t seek help because the society expects them to be tough. Society has formed this “macho” image of soldiers and it became the norm. Interactionalist would say that problems occur because we become influenced by the human interaction. Therefore we can conclude that solider are being influenced or in a way forced to represent an imagine that society has created for them. Often they don’t seek help for their PTSD, depression or other forms of mental illnesses because the society enforces and expects them not to. When soldiers don’t seek help some committee suicide but other live with guilt and find themselves addicted to drugs or alcohol without job or shelter living on the streets. If we encourage our veterans to seek help we are helping them to find their path of life and also we prevent further social problems.
The only solution that I think will help is if we as society become more supportive and encourage not only to soldiers but also everyone else to seek help if needed. I think the government should enforce returning veterans to be in therapy for at least six months, during the therapy the soldiers will have the opportunity to express their feeling and hopefully will understands that suicide is not the solution to their problem. The therapy will help them to overcome their mental illness and think about their future. Also we should demonstrate to the public by using press or media that seeking help doesn't make a person “weak”; everyone needs help and one should never be humiliated to ask for one.
David N
I do not agree completely with what Fabiola said. Suicide is neither the sole problem nor is it a new one. Suicide has been a dysfunction that accompanies wars and traumatic events for centuries. In fact, more often than not, on average there have been more deaths from suicide than from combat. Also, in actuality, post traumatic stress disorder, like all mental illnesses, serves a function in society. Mentally ill patients provide jobs in many health and safety sectors, such as law enforcement or therapy. So, from the functionalist perspective, post traumatic stress disorder and suicide both serve a purpose. I chose to comment on this response because it was a good attempt to analyze PTSD and suicide from a functionalist point of view, but it was incomplete. I truly believe that suicide is a social problem. When people begin to believe that ending their life is the only method of ending their pain, society fails one of its most important aspects: it must function. Suicide, whether due to combat stress or any other trauma, is a serious cause for concern. Society as a whole condemns murder, but many people are almost pushed towards suicide. If society views mental illness as the inability to remain sane, then by society's definition it is insane.
From the symbolic interactionist perspective, the stigmatization that accompanies asking for help from others is not exclusive to the military, and it does not originate while individuals are adults. To interactionists, society learns its values during the early stages of socialization. Thus, individuals learn to stigmatize the need for help while they are children. Children learn their gender approved behaviors and values from the socializing agents that surround them, so the belief that soldiers should not seek medical attention originated from a previous generation. The belief persists, along with its consequences, because children are still being taught androcentric values.
This leads me to my solution. Fabiola previously stated that individuals must be warned about the traumatic events that may accompany their tour. However, many individuals have the machismo personality instilled into their character, so advertisements and pre-war counseling may not provide much, if any leeway in reducing suicides or PTSD. If suicide is to be stopped, individuals must already believe that seeking medical attention when they need it is more important than avoiding social stigmatization. This would require that a new, androgynous belief system would have to replace our androcentric system. To prevent the grown of thorns, one must uproot the entire hedge, not simply trim it when it is getting in the way. If society wishes to fix real, social problems, it must be willing to provide real solutions.
Jennifer M.
In response to Theresa M. I do agree with her with the fact that military people cannot go out and seek help without being looked down upon because the people in the military are suppose to be the strong. While I was reading this, I was reminded of my uncle who is in the navy and has gone to do two tours in Iraq. My uncle is known as the manly man in the house and never once have I heard that he has gone for help. He seems to be fine, but only he knows after doing those two tours. Why do you say this is a problem. It is a problem because this is happening to real people who have families and after being in a traumatizing situation like a war in Iraq these people come home thinking that everything will just be the same. But after a while they come to realize that things aren’t the same and they are dealing with different types of issues whether it is mental health or physical health, but because they feel as they are going to be judged and seen as weak for looking for help they just go about their life not doing anything about it. And at the very end, the problem gets worse and they end up hurting themselves or acting in a violent way.
An interactionist would say that we learn to label the military as the strong ones and the ones that are invisible from society and the people around us. And i learned from a young age that they are not weak and that they don't need help because they are trained to beat anyone who comes their way. We also have been taught to look down at people in the military if they go out and seek help. Not only do we look down at the people in military but we also look down on men if they do the same as well. We grow up with this ideology because it is what we learn from our peers and our family.
Her proposed solution is not that realistic and it is because of the fact that you can never really change how everyone looks at the military. They have always looked at them as if they are suppose to be strong and it will take many years for their ideology to change. I think that the best solution is not to recommend them to seek help after their tours but instead make it mandatory for them to go and check their mental and physical health and have them monitored for a couple of months and have weekly check ups. I think this would be better because in a way they would check and see if anyone is sick and they could probably help them sooner than later.
Kimberly Garcia
In response to Theresa M.:
I agree with Theresa M. point of view regarding the rise in suicide in soldiers because of mental and physical issues in the military. This has become an enormous issue since 9/11. Soldiers often experience harm, physically and mentally when they are in war. Moreover, soldiers are portrayed as strong and thick skin. However, they often go back to the home with mental and physical problems. They do not pursue help, knowing they may cause negative consequences to themselves, community, or to their own family. They believe that their mental and physical problems are normal, since they come with a mentality that seeking for help is not proper. Theresa’s descriptions on the various issues soldiers often suffer, such as, depression, anxiety, and anger stood out to me. For instance, wives and children often do not know how to cope with their husband or fathers physical and metal issues. In many cases this causes arguments and distance between families. I chose this topic because our country is now being portrayed with many soldiers having both physical and mental problems. They go through harmful and hurtful experiences, which cause them to develop health and mental health problems. On the other hand, their pride will not let themselves get out of them.
An interactionist theorist would say that they have experienced so many negative consequences during combat that they can deal with anything. Based on their peer interactions, soldiers tend to often stay with their mental and physical problems. However, if they get support from their family, they would probably get out of the “sick role”. Soldiers are labeled as strong, so they tend to behave how society thinks they should behave. I believe that more and more soldiers are coming back to the United States with mental problems than physical. They are placed in a place with violence and when they come back home, they still have that mentality. It must be very difficult for them to recuperate and change their behavior. I believe Theresa’s solutions is a great way encourage soldiers to seek for help regarding their mental problems. Providing them therapy before they go back home will eventually open their minds and realize that the negative stigma is not the right way to approach issues. In my opinion, I think soldiers should be surrounded in a, hopeful, stable, loving, and safe home and community to overcome all the negative things they go through at war. They should fallow the recovery model, so they can seek help with their mental or physical issues.
Jonna H.
In response to Kaghsrik:
I found myself nodding in agreement with nearly every line of his post. In my opinion, many people are either ignorant or unwilling to acknowledge the seriousness of mental illness and the genuine distress it causes sufferers--especially those who have experienced first-hand the horrors of war. I agree with what he said about society's idea of the model soldier: that they are the indestructible hero. This is a completely unrealistic and unfounded idea, though. Soldiers are just ordinary people who chose to serve to better the interests of this country and of themselves; they're still subject to the same emotional responses and stresses that the rest of us do. I also agree that denial of mental illness is a huge problem, and this willful ignorance hinders efforts to reduce the stigma associated with individuals who are genuinely hurting as a result of mental illness, making them reluctant to reach out for help (and therefore, more likely to become desperate enough to attempt suicide). I chose to reply to his comment because it seemed like the most level-headed approach to the social problem presented, and it showed both macro- and micro-level impacts that mental illness produces in society. I also chose to comment on this specific issue because I think there's a very unhealthy "hush-hush mentality" about mental illness and emotional instability that really needs to be addressed if suicide rates are going to decline.
Given that this issue deals directly with war, I think a conflict theorist's perspective would be especially insightful here. A conflict theorist view wars as struggles between the powerful leaders of society, fought at the expense of the subordinate civilian population. Any mental distress caused by these power struggles is simply collateral damage. The hush-hush mentality I mentioned before serves to alienate these individuals from any help they could potentially receive, and when they finally can't take it anymore, they either explode in some outward display of violence or internalize it and attempt suicide. Either way, they are stigmatized in society and are unable to fight off this label (although, admittedly, that's much more of an interactionist idea). At the end of the day, though, these alienated individuals are divided and conquered, and those in power who sent them to war to begin with sit back and enjoy the spoils won at the soldiers' expense.
I agree with Kaghsrik about the need to reassess what really constitutes "strength" in order to bring awareness and help to those who suffer from mental illness as a result of war. I also agree that it's difficult to propose a feasible solution to such a multi-faceted problem. However, I think it would really help if therapy and support groups were de-stigmatized (and instead viewed as safehouses) so that people who legitimately want and need help can get it without having to worry about social condemnation and judgment.
I appreciated what Vazgen has to say about this issue of mental health and suicide in the military. The reason I chose to respond to his specifically is because rather than speculation, his comments are based in actual life experiences. I thought that the comment regarding military lifestyle, rather than simply the occupation, was an important one. I think that is a key component in why this issue is such a tough nut to crack. When a soldier is being stigmatized or ostracized in any way by the military, it is not the same as someone being picked on at work. It is almost as if soldier becomes a master status, therefore how other soldiers treat one another becomes that much more important. I would imagine that it carries much more weight and depth when a fellow infantryman calls you a wuss, than when a coworker would at a different type of job.
I think that an Interactionist might discuss this issue of labeling. Why is it that the military chooses to label certain neuroses as weak? What about PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc., is causing men and women to suppress their true experience and present a false image. I would assume that an Interactionist might see whether or not the label is learned socially. How does this become the norm, is simply what has always gone on or is there a push in the recent past from some group or individual that is facilitating this trend?
I think that the proposition of de-stigmatization is a good one. I think some more specific ideas would be helpful in this case. I agree with Vazgen when he says that a total revamp is not feasible—it’s not. What I think could be useful is mandatory therapy for soldiers. Whether it be group, individual, or both, I think that we need to give soldiers a venue to release at least some of the pressure that they are under whether they are in combat or not. I think that this could have an impact on both suicide and mental health-related issues, but also the more grandiose gestures like mass shootings at bases. Talking is like a medicine to the human brain and it is unrealistic to expect soldiers who are under record levels of stress to simply be able to “handle it” because they are “tough”.
Danielle L.
I agree with Vazgen because with him being in the military, he probably has dealt with this issue first hand. When he says being in the military is not a job but rather a lifestyle I agree. Especially in the case of war, it’s not like you can go and fight for 8 hours then come home to your family and live a “normal” life then go back to war the next day. These realities these soldiers face everyday are inescapable. But, instead of trying to escape these issues, there should be better ways to help soldiers cope with what they’ve seen and experienced themselves. From the interactionist perspective, soldiers are afraid to get help because they might be considered a “wuss”. An interactionist could say we need to change the way we interact and look at soldiers. Yes, they are very brave and heroic but they are still people. If a regular person saw their friend get shot, society would see it as totally acceptable for them to get the help they need, but not a soldier? There’s no difference, we are all people. Soldiers should never be looked down upon for getting treatment or help. If you make more programs that help soldiers who need it and make it a standard part of being a soldier than I believe soldiers wouldn’t worry about getting looked down upon when they receive help.
In response to Theresa M.
I totally agree with you that in order to reduce the sucidal rates in soldiers is based on them as feeling they have identity to with hold, but I believe that this problem can be explained better through the interactionist perspective. If the military let them know right from the start and had them receive therapy from the beginning of the first symptoms maybe things would be different. Like you said, soldiers are thought of as being strong and as warriors. They are defining themselves in that way, as well as everyone else around them. People believe these soldiers are impenetrable yet, they become the most vulnerable after suffering trauma day after day.
I think the removal of the stigma of mental illness not only starts with the military but the way the society defines it as a whole. That can only be removed if the symbols or interactions about mental illness are changed.
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