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COBB COUNTY, GA – A new film about a bank robbery in metro Atlanta is raising new questions about mental health care for black veterans.
The movie “Break” tells the story of Iraq War veteran Brian Easley’s 2017 hostage situation at the Wells Fargo Bank on Windy Hill Street in Cobb County.
When Easley entered the bank in the summer of 2017, he was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Easley It’s called WSB-TV Newsroom And he said he had a bomb.
Easley vowed not to harm the hostages but expressed his frustration with the veterans case after he said he didn’t get a disability check. Easley was shot and killed by police.
Easley’s struggle with mental illness is front and center in the film.
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Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michelle Newell spoke with Dr. Bacary Vickerson, a psychiatrist at Morehouse School of Medicine, about the struggles black veterans face with mental illness and the resources needed for veterans in general.
“When you tell his story, not just his story, but a lot of veterans, black male veterans who have somewhat similar experiences. Maybe it didn’t go to the extreme where they felt they had to go to the bank to have their challenges heard or their challenges heard. Everyone goes through the same challenges, and often, it can make a person feel alone. Those who have done so much for this country but feel that they have not got enough or nothing in return. I know some of the issues black people face growing up in this country — let alone dealing with serving in the military or serving in combat,” said Dr. Vickerson.
Dr. Vickerson has experience working with black men in the military as well as veterans.
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“I had experience working at the Atlanta VA, seeing soldiers come to outpatient psychiatric clinic and medication management appointments, and I would do therapy with them. Even though I couldn’t imagine what they were going through, I could often hear it in their words and even in their tears,” said Dr. Vickerson.
Dr. Vickerson believes that more resources are needed.
“Mental health needs to be a strong part of the military because the risk is so great. The risk is so great that we need to have something to screen for and also treat veterans as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Vickerson.
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