Oct 2, 2025 Traumatic brain injuries and suicidal thoughts
Col. James Wright, MD (USAF, ret), testified before the Senate Alabama Field Hearing on Hyperbaric Oxygenation for TBI and PTSD (HBOT). In his testimony, he referenced a recent clinical study on Traumatic Brain Injuries and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among Post-9/11 Veterans.
That study states: “TBI appears to compound suicide risk in veterans: those who experience TBI are 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide than veterans without TBI . . . This is particularly concerning given the prevalence of TBI in post-9/11 veterans . . . Identifying who is most at risk of developing [Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors (STBs)] through examining associations between TBI and suicide related outcomes has the potential to inform more effective prevention strategies, improve the delivery of evidence-based care, and save veteran lives.”
Dr. Wright is not the first to draw attention to a serious mismatch between DOD’s and the VA’s spending and their inability to bring down the increasing trend in suicides. The daily number is somewhere between 16 and 22 a day, depending on who is counting. VA’s own numbers show over 157,000 Veteran suicides since 9/11. The “reverberating effects” of war that have led to at least 4.5-4.7 million deaths and counting have seen over 6,000 Veteran deaths per year for over 20 years, now more than 22 times the number (7,053) of US service members killed in the war.
So much money has been thrown at “suicide prevention” strategies that it’s hard to pin anyone down on “return on investment” or the apparent willingness to throw good money after bad. Put simply, the USG approach to Veteran suicides is to broaden outreach to Veterans and the 66,000 Veteran Service and community Organizations and enable them to pay better attention: “If you see something, say something.”
The net effects of all the spending (over $5.375 billion over the last decade) are to avoid a central truth: when you do not heal the brain wounds of combat Veterans, they are at higher risk for suicide.
Congress is once again awakening to the need to do things differently. Legislation calling for the use of HBOT for TBI/PTSD/Suicide Prevention under consideration in the House and Senate includes:
S.2737 — Veterans National Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act. Senator Tuberville (R-AL) introduced a bill in the Senate (09/09/2025) that would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to implement a pilot program to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to certain veterans through community care providers, and for other purposes.
S.862 — HBOT Access Act of 2025. Senator Tuberville (R-AL) introduced in the Senate (03/05/2025) a bill that would amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to certain veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
H. R. 1336 — Veterans National Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act. Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) (for himself, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Wittman, Ms. Malliotakis, Ms. Ross, Mr. Van Orden, and Mr. Biggs of Arizona) introduced February 13, 2025. It was voted out of the full Veterans Affairs Committee and is awaiting a full House vote. It directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to a veteran who has a traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. The language was incorporated in S.2737 by SEN Tuberville.
H. R. 72 — TBI and PTSD Treatment Act. Mr. Biggs of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Crane, and Mr. Gosar) introduced the following bill, which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The Bill would amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish hyperbaric oxygen therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. It has gone nowhere.
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TreatNOW is calling for the following revisions and additions in all Bills that would call for revision of safety provisions and establish immediate funding of treatments of eligible Veterans while conducting research. We also call for “informed consent,” instructing the VA to tell every affected Veteran that HBOT is safe, effective and available to them.
- Incorporation of the recommendations in the CBO Cost Estimate Report, June 11, 2025. CBO estimates that roughly 6,000 veterans would participate in the program at an average cost of $27,000 for a course of 40 treatments. The bill would establish a fund to accept donations for the program; however, CBO anticipates that contributions would be minimal and would not significantly offset the costs of the program. In total, CBO estimates that the temporary program would cost $158 million over the three years, and that funds are available to pay those costs using already appropriated funds.
- We are in general support of other amendments proposed by other organizations.
a. Refine HBO2 Definition: Amend Section 4(e) to clarify eligible devices — monoplace or multiplace chambers — meeting ASME PVHO-1 and NFPA 99 standards, capable of delivering up to 3 ATA with 100% oxygen.
b. Support compliance with ASME, NFPA, and FDA standards for all hyperbaric equipment.
c. Support Ethical Research: Ensure studies are independent, IRB-approved, transparent, and designed to produce publishable, peer-reviewed data.
- Ensure the VA informs Veterans about the availability of HBOT for TBI/PTSD as one of the treatments available to them. Lack of informed consent prevents Veterans from knowing about HBOT as a safe and effective treatment.
*This is an issued press release from the TreatNOW Mission. For more information, visit https://www.youtube.com/@treatnowdotorg/videos.
