TAMPA, Fla. — May is mental health awareness month, and here on ABC Action News, we’re committed to highlighting the experiences of many in our community struggling with their mental health.
It’s no secret that veterans die by suicide at a higher rate than the general population. Still, experts are noticing an alarming trend: more women veterans are dying by suicide now than ever before.
A VETERAN’S STORY
“My father was a sailor, then an airman, then a sailor again,” said Bernadette Dunn, or as her friends and family affectionately call her, Bernie. Dunn comes from a long line of veterans. Her father served in Vietnam and helped the United States military build its presence on the Island of Deigo Garcia. “It’s a little island in the middle of nowhere Indian Ocean,” said Dunn while smiling.
After graduating college, Dunn said she struggled to find a job. So, in 1988, she decided to enlist in the air force. “And this is basic training. We were honored to be an honor flight and this is me right here,” said Dunn as she showed me a photo of her basic training class.
After basic training, she was given her assignment. “And I read our orders, and it said Panama City. I was like ‘I’m going home!’ And then I read a little bit more ‘Panama City Panama. Howard Air Force Base,’” she explained while laughing.
However, what she didn’t know was that the United States was planning on taking out the Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega. Coming from a tight-knit family to spending 15 months on lockdown in a foreign country while an invasion was happening was tough on her. “You get to feel lonely,” she commented. To make matters worse, she was sexually assaulted. “I didn’t have a clue how much I was suffering,” she explained with grief in her eyes.
WOMEN VETERAN SUICIDE RATE
“I’ve seen many women veterans who are unwilling to share the full scope of their pain,” said Natasha A. Pierre, a mental health educator and an advocate for veterans.
According to the latest Veterans Affairs report on suicide prevention, from 2020 to 2021, the suicide rate for women veterans jumped 24.1%, which is a rate increase four times higher than male veterans (4.9%) and vastly higher than nonveteran women (2.6%).
“It lets me know that as much as we have advanced over the last four years with the increased awareness, there’s still work for us to do because the population that has served our country, the bravest, the boldest, the most courageous among us are having a hard time and a hard enough time that it makes them want to check out of this life and that’s just sad,” said Pierre.
A LOCAL CAVALRY
“I served in the military from 2000 to 2005 in the Marine Corps and I have my own set of issues dealing with PTSD, anxiety depression,” said Camellia Simmons, with Shield of Faith Missions, a non-profit organization in Tampa that was started in 2011. They provide mental health events for veterans nationwide free of charge. “We teach classes such as sleep, nutrition, regenerative momentum, anger management, processing emotions, processing trauma, dealing with military sexual trauma,” Simmons explained.
As a veteran herself, Simmons has a special connection with other women veterans. “The female clinics are very special and near and dear to my heart. We get to be able to encourage and love on the ladies. A lot of them are just really skeptical or maybe nervous about coming and don’t know what to expect,” she said.
HEALING CAN BE ART
As for Dunn, the veteran we highlighted at the beginning of this story, life is better now after she received therapy. “It’s a little bit of a slow process to gain trust and learn,” she said.
She said she now has tools to help her through her feelings. One of those tools is pastel color sticks. “Art has helped me so much. Just working with colors and being able to express my emotions through color,” she said.
If you’re a veteran or you know a veteran who may be struggling with a mental health illness, here are some resources that may be able to help.
https://www.va.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/mental-health/
