Suicidal vet was "begging for help, and they kicked him to the curb" - 2008-07-24
All we could think was, Josh saw this coming, how come the VA
couldn't?
Lucas Senescall, a Navy veteran, took his life just two hours after he
was released from the VA medical center in Spokane, WA on July 7th . He
hanged himself with an electrical cord. He was last seen alive by his
father, Steven Senescall, who picked him up from the facility. “He was
holding his hands in his mouth just to keep from screaming,” said Steven.
Yet despite Lucas' state of agitation and weeping, despite his history
of bipolar disorder, substance abuse and multiple suicide attempts,
despite his having been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and
post-traumatic stress disorder, and despite reports quoting Lucas as
saying “I don't want to exist right now,” and “My heart just wants to
leave my body,” Lucas was assessed by the VA as a non-suicide risk and
was released from VA suicide watch.
How, you may ask? The social worker's suicide risk management
inventory, a standardized questionnaire used to screen patients
capable of harming themselves, noted suicidal thoughts and multiple
stressors, then concluded, "Risk low. Patient commits to safety plan."
In our previous interview with Josh, another Iraq veteran, he
warned that many VA risk assessment procedures are conducted via
standardized questionnaire. Lucas Senescall's suicide confirms Josh's
concern. In such life and death matters, especially concerning the
well-being of the young men and women who have served our country, a
standardized questionnaire just doesn't cut it.
Our veterans deserve better. Sign our petition to increase veterans'
mental health care.
