The War Within: Veteran Suicide Exhibit - KU

[Mabus]

“The War Within: An Exhibit Revealing the Veteran Suicide Epidemic and the Hidden Wounds of War.”

The purpose of the exhibit is to help the public become more aware of: the impact of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on veterans’ mental health; the resulting veteran suicide epidemic; and ways to assure veterans receive needed mental health care.

CBS News reported that 6,256 American veterans took their own lives in 2005 (120 soldiers killing themselves every week). They also found that the suicide rate for veterans at that time was between 22.9 and 31.9 per 100,000 compared to 8.3 per 100,000 for non-veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs released a report recently finding that in 2006, suicides had reached an appalling record high. Figures for 2006 showed that 46 veterans per 100,000 male veterans ages 18-29 who use VA services had committed suicide.

With these tragic figures in mind we feel it is important to assure that returning vets get all of the health and mental health care that they need and make the public more aware of the impact of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on our troops.

Again thank you for your interest in the exhibit. Please contact me for more information: to endorse this project; to utilize the exhibit in the future; or if you have printed information about mental health services you provide to veterans for distribution at the exhibit.

"The suicides and psychiatric mortality of this war could trump the combat deaths"
Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health


Iraq Veterans Against the War and their supporters - University of Kansas
Friday, November 21, 2008
10:00am - 2:00pm
Strong Hall Lawn
1416 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS