Keep telling us that you support us Republicans
Keep up with the hopes and prayers. I've had a friend that was killed by the lack of VA services. Bloodwork that showed he had cancer, sat unlooked at for months. When they found it, they actually told him by phone and told him that an ambulance is on its way to come to pick him up at his house and take him to the Alvin C York VA center in Nashville. That, and the lack of care that I got/get, its no surprise there is this type of crisis exists.
I will say, however, that the only real care that I got was from one Psychiatrist. The problem is, she isnt even working there anymore. To have to go through something like PTSD counseling (who I had through another counselor) which is nothing more than having to relive the worst moments of your life over and over again until you are able to not be paralyzed from it. While having to go through this therapy, I did it by a Facetime type app at the VA, and it was prone to cutting out. Which really sucks especially if you are at a critical point in the session, you're all emotional and the video feed goes dead. I mean, who wouldn't love to get this type of "fantastic free healthcare". Its almost as if not having any at all would just be the same.
I love the 20 years that i did in the military. I've had memories that only people could wish for, but on the other edge of the stick. I also deal with memories that nobody should ever have to go through.
The VA found that there were more than 6,000 veteran suicides each year from 2008 to 2016. Veterans accounted for 14 percent of all suicides in the United States in 2016, yet veterans comprise just 8 percent of the population, the report said, according to the newspaper.
In the report, the VA described veteran suicide as an “urgent crisis” that it can't address by itself. Still, some advocates say the department has not devoted enough resources to this issue.
“If any other population of 20 million people were exposed to these threats, it would be considered a public health priority,” Paul Rieckhoff, chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told the newspaper. “There has never been a national call to action.”
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Fixing the VA was another one of T-Rump's "promises" that "only I can do". 
I never served in the Armed Forces, but I have tremendous respect for those who did, for whatever reasons. This country owes you a debt of honor, and it certainly hasn't even begun to pay that debt. In 2020 we'll take back the White House and a decent person will live up to the debt we owe you. Finally. Until then we can only hope our Veterans will take a moment to clear their minds before making a final solution to a temporary problem. They deserve so much more.
For you and yours, Separation. Thank you for the eye-opening post and your service to our country.
My wife, not quite a year after we were married, developed what was called 'schizophrenic manic depressive' disorder, what we now call bi-polar. One of the most difficult things for a person with this disorder to do is admit they have it. My wife would try anything lay "experts" would suggest rather than take the meds prescribed by her Psychiatrist. Like you say, the stigma associated with the disease is tremendous. She tried everything under the sun, from crystals, mineral supplements, herbs, just about everything BUT taking her prescribed medication. I could understand that as well, because they had terrible side effects. This was back in the late 70s, so I hope they've come up with some better treatment options since then. Long story short, after 4 years of being admitted to the Psychiatric Hospital, being released, going back to the hospital etc. etc. etc. she developed Leukemia, which took her life a little over a year later. She had a tough life, and no one deserves that. So I feel for your brother and sister Veterans with mental disorders. Having never suffered from what they're going through I can only guess at the horrors and suffering they endure. I certainly remember the anguish and mental stress I went through, and I was only a very close spectator to my wife's tortured mind. That was the most difficult period of my life so far, and I can't even imagine how much more disrupting and life changing it would be to suffer the diseases myself.
My most sincere thanks to you, and your brother and sister Veterans. Hopefully the government will one day take charge of treating our wounded warriors as they so rightly deserve. 