PURPLE BROKEN HEARTS –

Feb. 16, 2023 – The demographics of those hardest hit paralleled the opioid crisisin the civilian population, where people without college degrees have suffered the most from the scourge of opioid addiction.

Analysis of the data available showed that the overdose rate at the Department of Defense is significantly higher than the civilian baseline. Army infantrymen, Green Berets, and other elite soldiers, together with the smaller Naval Special Warfare Command, have borne nearly all of the burden of the war in Afghanistan and a half-dozen other countries.

Veterans suffer “moral injury,” a term used to refer to symptoms resulting from a damaged conscience, involving profound feelings of guilt, shame, and anger. Military personnel who take part in combat are most at risk of suffering this form of trauma.  

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