COVID PTSD is real and lockdowns drive veterans who already have PTSD towards suicidal behavior. These 5 steps can help after a year of social isolation.
“Cherry” came out on March 12, 2021. It’s a movie about an army medic suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In the context of National Let’s Laugh Day on March 19, and the International Day of Happiness on March 20th, we must shine a light on this escalating problem.
Military suicides have increased by as much as 20% during the coronavirus pandemic with a 30% spike for active Army personnel, up from 88 in 2019 to 114 in 2020 according to CBS News. COVID-19 PTSD is real, and when layered upon Veteran PTSD, it’s a recipe for disaster.
We’ve been socially isolated for over a year due to lockdowns on our lives and the economy. This pandemic is real, and deadly. But we cannot ignore the 18 million veterans in the US, many of whom suffer from mental health issues. Governors like Andrew Cuomo are ignoring the needs of people who served, in an attempt to maintain control and win votes.
Larry Sharpe was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War era. While he was active, he made hundreds of friends who still struggle from that time. And post USMC, he has worked with hundreds of Veterans who struggle with suicidal thoughts, even today. Sharpe ran for Governor of New York in 2018 and got about 100,000 votes. Numerous Sharpe supporters are veterans. He is still connected to many of them.
“Too often, I have heard of Vets asking their brother or sister to ‘hold’ their firearms. That means that last night, they had one in their month and didn’t pull the trigger. They are afraid that tonight will be different. This is unacceptable.”
Larry Sharpe
Recently, Sharpe spoke with US Army veteran, Justin Durm about suicide among veterans. Durm said, “I lost a friend that I’ve known since elementary school and it was a dark period in my life. He was a former marine. Semper fi.”
According to Sharpe, we must act IMMEDIATELY to deal with this veteran crisis and:
- End the COVID-19 lockdowns and ask people instead to voluntarily stay home or get vaccinated if they are at high risk of infection.
- Go through our contact lists and call every Veteran we know, to check in with them and let them know we’re available to talk.
- Rework regulations that revoke gun licenses for mental health issues, which often result in veterans avoiding the mental health treatment they desperately need, out of fear that they’ll have their guns taken away.
- Reach out to your local support group for veterans and ask them if they need help. If none is present, then start one.
- Socialize with local veterans in healthy activities that help them to adjust to civilian life.
About The Sharpe Way: The Sharpe Way Show was founded by Larry Sharpe, the 2018 Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of New York to help heal the nation’s political divide between liberals and conservatives.
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