Loading Map....
Date/Time
Date(s) - 16/03/2015
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Global Exchange
Categories
In early 2013, the official website of the United States Department of Defense announced the startling statistic that the number of military suicides in 2012 had far exceeded the total of those killed in battle: an average of nearly one a day. A month later camee an even more sobering statistic from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: veteran suicide was running at 22 a day – about 8000 a year.Some have claimed that this spate of self-harm is because of the stresses of war. But the facts reveal that 85% of military suicides have not seen combat – and 52% never even deployed. So what unsuspected factor is causing military suicide rates to soar?
According to the new documentary The Hidden Enemy: Inside Psychiatry’s Covert Agenda, evidence points to the soaring rates of psychiatric drug prescribing since 2003. Known side effects of these drugs such as increased aggression and suicidal thinking are reflected in similar uptrends in the rates of military domestic violence, child abuse and sex crimes, as well as self-harm.
Psychiatrists are well aware of their many dangerous side effects, including possible addiction. However, they claim that the risks of the side effects are exceeded by their benefits. And while the soldier’s real problem goes unaddressed, his health deteriorates.In the face of these military suicide statistics, the U.S. Pentagon now spends $2 billion a year on mental health alone. The Veterans Administration’s mental health budget has skyrocketed from less than $3 billion in 2007 to nearly $7 billion in 2014 all while veterans’ conditions continue to worsen.
We will watch “The Hidden Enemy” followed by discussion with veterans.
