When one suffers in the deepest depths of depression, asking for help takes an almost superhuman amount of strength. Imagine mustering up that will, phoning a crisis hotline, and being rerouted to voicemail. That’s exactly what happened to veterans who called a suicide hotline operated by the Veterans Affairs Office (VA). The agency’s internal watchdog has issued a damning report that reveals how approximately 1 in 6 calls to the Canandaigua VA Medical Center’s hotline were either placed on hold or — even worse — sent to a voicemail system at a backup center. Staff members at the primary center were never aware these calls were placed. So, the voicemails never got returned, and god only knows what happened to those veterans.
The VA estimates that the center has accepted 1.8 million calls since its 2007 inception. That number seems vast after a significant bump in 2014. The watchdog report states the obvious problem with calls not being answered:
“Routing to voicemail, instructing callers to call another party, or placing the caller on holds delays the caller interaction with responders and could potentially affect caller access to needed crisis or emergency services.”
This crisis line was highlighted in a 2013 Oscar-winning documentary, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, which may account for the increased hotline traffic. An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide daily due to post-traumatic stress and the shame associated with asking for help. This statistic remains in contention, and some experts believe the number is even higher.
(NOTE: The National Suicide Hotline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255. As noted in the documentary, veterans are asked to choose option 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line)
In addition, an Instagram page maintained by vets asks those in trouble to reach out. The page regularly posts contact information of vets who make themselves available by phone or for in-person meetings. Help is out there.
https://www.instagram.com/p/5m2f5jkAlD/
(Via VA.gov, CBS News, Washington Post and 22TooMany.com)