Dude, one of my best friends is a veteran, and he's depressed as fuck right now. I worry about him.

Great post! As a Veteran ive struggled with depression previously. Its a hard thing to overcome yourself and you should not feel afraid to ask other vets to be someone to talk to. Talking to other veterans helped me overcome my personal struggles.

There is nothing wrong with saying, "ive been to some places, ive seen some shit, i need someone to decompress with." Please seek help.

Being a veteran is one of the few reasons i have a tiny social media presence, so others i served could always reach out if need be.

Some of you may not believe, don't see it brought up here often, but cannabis is helping a ton of vets! It's not for everyone, absolutely not, but it is helping save the lives of our brave vets. Often helping them reduce or replace the cocktails of pharmaceutical meds, from painkillers to antidepressants and everything in between.

There are many testimonials / forums and a large community of vets who love weed. I have a marine buddy, hardcore MF, who works closely with a non-profit dedicated to reducing suicides and getting the word out among the ranks.

I’ll tell you the messy stuff that the article doesn’t really talk about- how the psychiatrists at the VA hand out addictive drugs like candy, instead of offering alternative treatments that aren’t, like Propranolol for PTSD. I got put on SSRIs while active duty and all the pain, Xanax and Ambien I could ever want. The Ambien knocks you on your ass, let me tell you and they fail to warn about the dangers of mixing any of these meds with alcohol. That is a crucial point. At least in the Marine Corps- heavy drinking becomes a way of life for most. It’s started before you even leave.

I went to the dark side one night after being out for about a year. I’ll be candid about two things- my VA therapist didn’t call me back and the local sheriff deputies saved my life. I’ll leave that there since I know many members here hate LE but I will always thank them for that. My family does as well.

But the VA creates the problem and then refuses to help you wean off SSRIs or anything else. They don’t want you off of it! Got pain? How much pain med do you want is kind of their MO. Need refills for Xanax? They have you covered and don’t monitor what you’re taking and if it is in combination with other equally dangerous drugs. Not.. “let’s try alternative treatments like dietary changes, massage, chiropractic medicine and the like.” It’s faster to prescribe something and that way the psychiatrist whose primary language is NOT English can move on. Also- the week I spent in the VA acute psych unit was the worst in my entire life. They don’t let you sleep. You can’t lie down and just be quiet, you have to sit with all the other acutely ill people in common areas. Want to watch the Game Show network while people talk incessantly around you all day? Yeah, that’s the ticket. That alone.. after weeks of not sleeping was enough to make me want to die but the noise was unbearable and all I wanted was for the racket in my head to stop. They make it as uncomfortable as possible so you just say whatever it takes to get the hell out of there as quick as possible. That’s the truth. So then you get discharged and are back to square one. They don’t check on you. You may or may not show up for your follow up appts.

I do a lot of volunteer stuff with vets who’ve been there, done that. It’s a typical story. Never have I heard “oh no man, I had a really good experience.” No. And it’s just a cycle of crappy care and more drugs, discharge with no resolution to anything in real life. It wasn’t until I got a real job after college recently that I went private insurance and am weaning off SSRIs. They make you suicidal, btw. But being able to see someone who has compassion and willingness to try different things made all the difference. Unfortunate, it isn’t available for many vets.

Anyway, much of the problem occurs even before leaving active duty and then they let you out to fend for yourself. Leaving active duty is like leaving a family, no matter what branch. Transitioning to civilian life is extremely difficult for those who don’t really have a great support system in place (like family) and are used to being told what to do at all times. One basic problem is not having affordable housing. If you don’t have support, you’re not going to be able to afford anything. Disability benefits will not cover all basic necessities like food, shelter, a vehicle payment or anything else like clothing. That is a big stressor. So you either totally have your shiz together, use that post 9/11 GI Bill and go to college, room with someone and make it work or get a well paying job and figure it out or you FALL harder and harder and harder. It’s just too much for many and the VA may say it cares but they don’t and they don’t have adequate resources to help.

And then top it all off with Afghanistan. This is what they really should be addressing- the complete and abject failure that it was and how it has DEVASTATED all those who served, even indirectly. It’s way more than 22 a day which was the figure before we pulled out but that wave hasn't hit yet.

To the good people here who care- do anything you can for a vet if you know anyone. Your time, a conversation, a hot meal, donated clothing or even the smallest thing makes a difference. Realize that many who on the surface seem ok, are not. Dig deeper. Ask questions, check on them often.

Breaks my heart

Thank you for this info.

I'm a retired Chief Petty Officer. I served 22 years honorably in the US Navy all of it as a P3 Orion flight engineer. I am rated at the 100% Permanently & Totally disabled rating in 2004. In May 2017 on my 60th birthday I was in a severe car accident. Thirty-one days after the accident the VAMC Hospital Chief of Staff illegally had 2/3s of my holistic pain management care taken away from me in an effort to try and get me to eat a bullet for him. I'd had differences with him before so I knew he was up to no good. I was right because later on I was intentionally tortured by that very government employee who was running the VA Medical Center hospital. Let that sink in people.

But instead of committing suicide for him, which was never an option for me because I've had some of the most elite military training in existence and I will never eat a bullet for anyone; instead I documented the months of excruciating torture that he intentionally caused me in real time. I also got access to his emails via FOIA proving this was done on purpose and they were accidentally sent to me unredacted. That makes the information admissible in court and it is direct irrefutable evidence, not hearsay. It took almost a year to get all the evidence documented and collated to establish my case of attempted murder and subsequent cover up and almost another year to get the Judicial attention my case deserves. I also exposed the entire VA Office of Medical Investigators in Washington D.C. at VA Headquarters. Pretty sure they helped cover everything up too. We shall see as they are supposedly being investigated as well. My case involves DOZENS of people.

During my data gathering and search process for evidence, I also proved the entire Board of Medicine in the State of NH is corrupt as well. That's because the VAMC Chief of Staff I reported who tried to murder me was the supervisor for the Board of Medicine President and the Board of Medicine Secretary when they worked at the VA hospital doing adjunct medical work there. They all knew each other. The President and Secretary on the NH Board Of Medicine were his subordinates and he was their supervisor while they worked there because he ran the hospital when they volunteered there. Instead of recusing themselves and reporting the felonious activity to the FBI, the entire NH Board of Medicine voted unanimously to seal the case and say nothing to see here and protect the Chief of Staff who tried to kill me instead of protecting an American Warrior. Four years ago I sat down with the FBI and NH/DOJ investigators at the FBI Bedford, NH Field Office a couple of weeks after contacting NH Deputy AG Jane Young with direct evidence proving to her the entire Board of Medicine is corrupt and all 10 of the Board Members voted unanimously to commit Obstruction of Justice and Misprision of Felony. After that NH/DAG Jane Young referred my case to Geoffrey Ward who is Chief of the Criminal Justice Bureau in NH and she also referred my case to the Jeffery Strelzin who is the Head of the Homicide Division in NH.

Since that happened nobody has been indicted, no Grand Jury has been convened. Nothing at all seems to be happening with my case. The sad thing is about 19 months ago I was attacked by VA employees again, but this time it was by the hands of my own VA doctor after did what he was told to do when he was ordered by VA Administrators to cut my holistic pain management care dramatically again. I documented all of that while being tortured a second time for months on end as well and I reported it all to the FBI. I did not report that second incident to the NH/DOJ because the VA does not come under State DOJ jurisdiction and there was no need for a joint investigation the second time VA tried to kill me and cover it up. They did get sloppy though because I now can prove with their own documentation that I got a medical consult cutting off my care, then got four more consults to try and hide that fact. Their problem is I also have all of my medical record notes. Any time a medical consult is created there are always clinical medical notes justifying that consult and care order. So I ask the FBI in my evidence package, "How does a Veteran get five illegal consults in their medical record that cuts off said care then hides it with administrative trickery when there are no clinical notes in my records for any of them?" These people are so stupid and arrogant they think they can do what they want and nobody will find out so they got sloppy and made serious mistakes and I caught them all. The only reason the first case is a joint investigation is because the NH Board of Medicine was involved in colluding with VA personnel at the hospital. The VA and our own government has and is now ATTEMPTING TO & KILLING AMERICAN VETERANS & THEN THEY COVER IT UP!

I gave an oath to defend the Constitution. Before I sat down with the FBI and NH/DOJ agents/investigators I had sent them over 100 emails with attachments of irrefutable direct evidence. They had printed out every bit of my evidence I had emailed to them and had it stacked up on the table between us when one of them asked me, "Why did you do all of this?" The very first words out of my mouth back to her were, " BECAUSE I AM DEFENDING THE CONSTITUTION!"

My case is so convoluted with so many government criminals involved that a former Acting VA Secretary is involved in the cover up on the federal side and so is the entire NH Board of Medicine and possibly many others in the VA Office of Medical Inspectors. We shall see.

One of the Doctors on the NH Board of Medicine is an extremely wealthy surgeon who lives right on the ocean in a multimillion dollar home and politically well connected in my State. So what do you think the chances are my case has been swept under the rug? Now you know why so many Veterans are committing suicide. Government administrators are covering up the real numbers of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines they are killing; all while getting rich doing it with our tax dollars drawing their huge annual salaries and bonuses.

"I AM" an American Warrior! And before "I AM" done they are going to all wish they had never heard my name. "I AM" not done defending the Constitution and I never will be, no matter what they do to me. I will always get back up and come kick their butts with the Power of the Constitution. I know that Power within me because I was in the Light and my story is in this Johns Hopkins University article you can read about for yourself here for free. https://nibjournal.org/voices/healthcareafternde/

The Light is coming, and nobody can stop It. Nobody. Not even the FBI, nor the DOJ; nor anyone working at the VA or anyone on the NH Board of Medicine. If they knew what I Know they would treat all Veterans like God intended. They would Love us. But they don't know how badly they have harmed themselves in the process.

Forgive them Father for they Know not what they do.

I forgive them too. But if God picked me to be His instrument of Love that will bring all of those people who did this to me and are doing to Veterans across America their Love lessons then "I AM" blessed for it. "I AM" also eternally grateful I was chosen for this mission to bring all of them their individual Love lessons God has planned for them. "I AM" humbled to have had an opportunity to serve my God in this manner and to serve my fellow Veterans affected by all of this as well as trying to protect all NH Citizens from a corrupt government. Please pray that all involved in this situation get the Love lessons they deserve. That includes praying for me so I get mine too.

Please note I do not resent any of these people. In fact I Loved them all so much that I did not commit the suicide they intended for me and instead did the things that needed to be done in an honorable manner, then tried to report it all to the authorities in the hopes everyone involved gets their Justice on this side of the veil. Ultimately I know it is not a requirement that I get real Justice while alive in the here and now because I Know that God has a form of Divine Justice none of them are prepared for. I forgive them for they Know not what they have done to themselves and will learn first hand all about it during their own Life review one day. So they don't know that, but I do; so I forgive them for it. But, they aren't going to like it at all.

God bless America!

"No one has yet to explain how the Democrat controlled Congress, Democrat White House, and Democrat-led-VA were unable to timely fix bad rules left over from the Trump Administration after 18 months but instead pressed on with the purge." https://www.disabledveterans.org/2022/09/20/va-caregiver-program-purges-who-is-behind-what/

Notice quite a few vets posting, always nice to see. Welcome Home, Brothers.

How do they not know for certain? Treatment of veterans in this country is shameful.

What is happening? These evil people are destroying everything

Wars are how globalists kill patriots on both fronts.

Then the VA finishes off the remainder.