Just as the Ice Bucket Challenge helped propel ALS awareness and fundraising to new heights, the 22 Pushup Challenge has recently caught fire. The challenge is a fundraising and awareness campaign designed to combat the high number of suicides among veterans of the armed forces. According to a report regarding the campaign in Inc., on average, 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Often, these suicides are, at least, in part a result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) soldiers have suffered during combat. Therefore, the 22 Pushup Challenge helps TBI survivors.
The way the 22 Pushup Challenge works is a person does 22 pushups and then challenges someone else to do it either in person or through a social media site, such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. In addition, while not a requirement of the campaign, participants are encouraged to donate time or money to a veterans’ assistance organization of their choice. One such organization, 22Kill, is behind the pushup challenge. The goal of the program is to:
- Encourage more people to advocate for veterans
- Support other veterans’ assistance organizations
- Raise awareness about issues veterans face, including transitioning back into civilian life, suicide, PTSD, and TBI
TBI May Increase Your Risk of Suffering PTSD
PsychCentral featured a report regarding the connection between TBI and PTSD. According to the article, data from a new study revealed that traumatic brain injury can increase a person’s risk of suffering PTSD. The participants in the study were emergency service workers, such as EMTs and firefighters. Data from the study showed that six months after brain injury, 27 percent of patients were suffering from PTSD when they came in for a follow-up visit.