tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270430534591439047.post2717614385771558466..comments2024-03-14T19:22:13.917-04:00Comments on 91outcomes.com: Suicidal Gulf War Veteran Calls VA Suicide Help Line -- Gets Help... And Felony Gun Possession Charges91outcomeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092402936038968127noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270430534591439047.post-23308654628633097552012-02-13T23:20:36.229-05:002012-02-13T23:20:36.229-05:00I've called the VA's crisis line when I wa...I've called the VA's crisis line when I was on the edge myself. What I was hoping for was someone on the other end that I could talk to, that would understand my feelings and maybe help me work through them. Instead, what I got was some bureaucratic monkey with a clipboard who's only mission it seemed was to get my name and contact information so they could have someone from my local medical facility follow up with me. There was nothing but faux compassion that only made me feel worse instead of better. I ended up hanging up the phone and doing what I should have done in the first place: call another veteran who has been in my shoes and understands what its like to find themselves in that dark place where there seems to be no hope. On top of that, it took almost 24 hours for someone from my local facility to call and check up on me. 24 hours is a long time when ending your life seems to be the only solution to all the weight bearing down on your shoulders.<br /><br />I tried to call the crisis line again some days later and got the same run around. "Oh, that must be awful. Can I get your name and phone number?" Again, I just hung up.<br /><br />It seems clear to me that the VA's crisis line isn't there for the vet, its there for the VA. Once they get your name and contact information and refer you on to your local facility, they can say that they have done what is required of them to provide crisis and suicide intervention. If you don't believe me, just give them a call and see how they treat you and how quickly they discharge you after you give them your contact information.<br /><br />The person on the other end of the phone when a veteran calls in crisis should either be another veteran, perhaps with some counseling training, or a mental health professional that can provide true crisis intervention and not just ask questions to cover the VA's hind end.<br /><br />I'm fortunate in that I have people I can call when I think the world is caving in on me. I won't ever call the VA's crisis line again.<br /><br />You can also count on me writing an immediate and stern letter to the Secretary. This is not the VA that I want helping me or my fellow veterans. Instead of getting this veteran the help he needs, they are trying to ultimately destroy his life and make it a living hell. The exact thing he was calling to get help for.<br /><br />Someone needs to get their priorities straight. And NOW.Waitinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17544773662507711343noreply@blogger.com