Semper Fi Fund addresses suicide awareness, PTSD and veteran mental health issues

Semper Fi Fund Releases New Video Series Addressing Suicide Awareness, PTSD and Veteran Mental Health Issues

Set of Videos — “In Your Corner,” A New Documentary, Deliver Insights from Service Members, Spouses, Caregivers & Medical Experts

CAMP PENDLETON, CA. – The Semper Fi Fund, one of the nation’s highest-rated veteran nonprofits serving post-9/11 service members and their families, announces the release of a series of videos and a compelling documentary that provide unique insights and powerful advice to help address the suicide epidemic for service members in the United States as part of its ongoing mission.

Each of the videos focuses on a specific issue that’s highly relevant to service members dealing with wounds — both physical and invisible:
Anger
Suicide
Disconnection
Mental health
Sleep

In addition to these issue-specific videos, a 20-minute documentary entitled “In Your Corner: The Path to Post-Traumatic Growth” has been released. It’s a powerful sequel to 2009’s “Cover Me,” which took a frank look at combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“The documentary and videos are valuable resources for service members and their families,” says Karen Guenther, CEO and founder of the Semper Fi Fund. “We are constantly working to help those who are dealing with physical and invisible injuries — letting them know they are not alone and there is always hope.”

“There’s a perception that many of us who have served come back unbalanced,” says Robert Koffman, MD, MPH (Captain, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy (Ret.) and Medical Director of the Semper Fi Fund), “and quite frankly there’s nothing further from the truth. A small minority of individuals will be ultimately diagnosed with PTSD, but nowhere near the 50-60 percent that people expect.”

Dr. Koffman is one of several medical experts contributing to the series of videos, which also features Heidi S. Kraft, Ph.D. (Former U.S. Navy Clinical Psychologist and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom) plus interviews with more than a dozen service members and caregivers. Their firsthand experiences with not only PTSD but also veteran suicide, mental health and more provide a riveting perspective on these invisible wounds for all Americans.

“For almost a decade and a half, the Semper Fi Fund has been on the front lines of helping our post-9/11 veterans manage a broad range of issues,” says Guenther. “We understand that everyone deals with stress and psychological health issues in a unique way, which is why we’ve developed a wide range of programs that make a real difference in the lives of our post-9/11 service members.”

The videos can be accessed on the Semper Fi Fund website by clicking here.

About the Semper Fi Fund

The Semper Fi Fund provides urgently needed resources and lifetime support for combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Case managers from the Semper Fi Fund work one-on-one with service members and veterans in order to understand and support their individual needs right now and throughout their lifetime. We keep our overhead low so our impact on the lives of service members and veterans is greater. The Semper Fi Fund has been awarded the highest ratings from watchdog groups: an A+ from CharityWatch – one of only two veteran nonprofits to receive this rating last year – and six consecutive “4-Star” ratings from Charity Navigator, an achievement attained by only 3% of rated charities. Visit semperfifund.org to learn more.