At an event hosted by the Retired American Warriors PAC, Oct. 3, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was asked about approaches to preventing suicide among veterans. Here's his response. (The Washington Post)
Trump suggests military members with mental health issues aren’t ‘strong’ and ‘can’t handle it’
Post Politics
Trump suggests military members with mental health issues aren’t ‘strong’ and ‘can’t handle it’
Donald Trump told a group of military veterans on Monday that some members of the military develop mental health issues because they are not "strong" and "can't handle it."
"When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat, they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over. And you're strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can't handle it," the Republican presidential nominee told an audience of military veterans at an event in Northern Virginia on Monday morning. "And they see horror stories, they see events that you couldn’t see in a movie — nobody would believe it."
Mental health advocates have been trying for decades to destigmatize depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other issues in hopes of empowering people to not be afraid to seek medical help. The stigma surrounding mental health has been especially difficult to fight in the military, where many service members think that they should handle these issues on their own and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Suicide has become an epidemic among veterans, and more than 20 end their lives each day.
READ MORE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-p...
Trump suggests military members with mental health issues aren’t ‘strong’ and ‘can’t handle it’
Donald Trump told a group of military veterans on Monday that some members of the military develop mental health issues because they are not "strong" and "can't handle it."
"When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat, they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over. And you're strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can't handle it," the Republican presidential nominee told an audience of military veterans at an event in Northern Virginia on Monday morning. "And they see horror stories, they see events that you couldn’t see in a movie — nobody would believe it."
Mental health advocates have been trying for decades to destigmatize depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other issues in hopes of empowering people to not be afraid to seek medical help. The stigma surrounding mental health has been especially difficult to fight in the military, where many service members think that they should handle these issues on their own and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Suicide has become an epidemic among veterans, and more than 20 end their lives each day.
READ MORE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-p...
Former Marine Staff Sgt. Chad Robichaux, a combat veteran who served in Force Reconnaissance units and asked Trump the question, defended him in a statement released to news organizations.
“I think it’s sickening that anyone would twist Mr. Trump’s comments to me in order to pursue a political agenda,” said Robichaux, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. “I took his comments to be thoughtful and understanding of the struggles many veterans have, and I believe he is committed to helping them.”