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Outline persuasive essay
English Composition II (ENG123)
Southern New Hampshire University
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Thesis statement:
The mental health of U. soldiers should be taken more seriously because veteran suicide rates are climbing, alcohol and other substance involved overdose deaths are increasing, and the stigma around mental health affects the decision to seek treatment,
I. The neglect of veterans’ mental health and the stigma around treatment for mental health is a serious issue. II. The suicide and addiction rates of veterans are climbing due to not seeking treatment or having resources available to them. a. “More than 2 million service members have been deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan- some multiple times- since terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. As a result, many veterans are struggling with physical and mental wounds, suicide, addiction, and homelessness. (Susan Ladika, 2019) i. The suicide rates among American veterans are much higher than among non- veterans ii. The rates for Vets rose steadily between 2005 and 2015- from 18 suicides per 100,000 veterans to 26. iii. According to the VA, nearly 20 veterans died by suicide every day in 2017. iv. The suicide rate is rising faster among veterans v. There is an increase in suicide rates for veterans between the ages of 18 and 34- from 40 per 100,000 in 2015 to 45 per 100,000 in 2016- the highest suicide rate of any age group vi. About 20 percent said they had dealt with substance or alcohol abuse.
lll. Alcohol and other substance involved overdose deaths are increasing
i. Alcohol-involved overdose deaths are increasing and often occur with other substances but have been minimally studied compared to other causes of overdose. ii. Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of mortality in the US, after tobacco use and poor diet and exercise (Mokdad et al., 2004). More than 95,000 people die annually due to alcohol-related causes and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most prevalent substance use disorder, outnumbering all other substance use disorders combined other than tobacco use disorder (Esser, 2020; Grant et al., 2016, 2015). iii. similar to other overdose patterns in the US, alcohol-involved overdose, either alone or in combination with other substances, is rising; in 2017, alcohol contributed to 12, overdose deaths in the US (White et al., 2020). iv. Alcohol is a known respiratory depressant and has synergistic effects with opioids and the risk of a fatal overdose is increased when these substances are used concurrently (Fernandez et al., 2019) v. Alcohol overdose occurs when BAC levels become so high that it impairs basic life supporting functions, causing respiratory depression, reduced control of the gag reflex, and decreased heart rate (National Institute on, 2021) vi. To obtain alcohol overdose rates, annual cohorts of VHA Veterans were created each year between 2012–2018 and overdose mortality rates were calculated per 100,
person-years of risk time across the VHA Veteran population in each calendar year (Lin et al., 2019; McCarthy et al., 2009) vii. From 2012 to 2018, 2421 patients died from any alcohol-involved overdose including 868 (35%) patients who died from alcohol-only, 1269 (52%) alcohol+opioids, and 284 (11%) alcohol+other substances. From 2012–2018, the rate of alcohol-involved overdose increased from 4 to 6 per 100,000 person-years (Fig. 1; Rate Ratio = 1, 95% CI 1–1). viii. However, rates of alcohol+opioid overdose increased from 1 in 2012 to 3 in 2018 (Rate ratio = 2, 95% CI 1–2), and rates of alcohol+other substances increased from 0 in 2012 to 0 in 2018 (Rate ratio = 1, 95% CI 1–2) ix. Across alcohol-involved overdoses, stimulants (20%, n = 505) were the most commonly involved other substance, followed closely by the specific opioids, heroin (20%, n = 503) and prescription opioids (19%, n = 480; Appendix Table 8) x. alcohol-involved overdose increased 57% from 2012 to 2018, due primarily to an increase in rate of overdose involving alcohol, opioids, and other substances. Alcohol+opioid overdoses (which may have also included other substances) comprised the majority of alcohol-involved overdoses, followed by alcohol-only overdoses. There were important differences in patient characteristics across the three categories. However, the most concerning finding is that across all patients who died from an alcohol-involved overdose, although the large majority received alcohol screening and many screened positive for hazardous alcohol use, only a small fraction received medication or psychotherapy for AUD, demonstrating a large care gap.
I. The stigma around mental health has affected veteran’s decisions to seek treatment b. Secretary Wilkie said that a significant number of veterans who commit suicide come from the Vietnam era and have never had any contact with the VA i. There is a substantial unmet need for mental health services for recent veterans I. About half of those who demonstrated a need for mental health care had not received any from either the VA or a private practitioner. c. Stigma can be defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. d. The number of military personnel reporting psychological problems upon return from deployment continues to grow and will likely result in a new generation of veterans at risk for chronic health problems (Litz, 2007) i. Stressors such as being shot at, killing an enemy, or seeing human remains are frequently reported by soldiers and undoubtedly affect their mental health (Hoge et al., 2004) ii. Though the population of military personnel with psychological problems is substantial, only a fraction report receiving any professional treatment, and few soldiers are interested in receiving help (Hoge et al., 2004) e. Research shows that stigma associated with mental illness includes attributes of dangerousness, incompetency, and generalized sentiments of “badness” (Corrigan eg al.,
month but not at two years). Veterans with the most PTSD symptoms, the authors wrote, "tend to amplify their memory for traumatic events over time"
Outline persuasive essay
Course: English Composition II (ENG123)
University: Southern New Hampshire University
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