BUFFALO, N.Y. — Diana Patton was honorably discharged in September 1995 after serving her country for just over three years.

In August 2013, she took all the pills in her medicine cabinet.

“I was found the next day,” she recalls. “I was still breathing, but if I was out any longer than, I think the paramedics said than a half hour, I would have been dead.”

It wasn’t until after she left active duty that “a bomb” hit her — post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

"I suffer from bad nightmares, flashbacks,” she said. “That depression mixed with a few other things really put me in a bad state, not really wanting to die but just not wanting to be here."

Her story is one that's all too familiar.

Nationally, 20 veterans take their own lives every day, according to a new report from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

They're more than twice as likely as civilians commit suicide.

"Sometimes there's shame or embarrassment that might be attached to people who are having some emotional troubles or have a mental health condition,” said Erie County Mental Health Commissioner Michael Ranney. “They have been there as a soldier and protecting, and now they may need some help."

"They see that as a weakness and so that’s why they choose not to seek out services,” said David Shenk, director of the Erie County Veterans Service. “I think that's because of the nature of their military experience.”

Some 70 percent of veterans who took their own lives had not received any care for their mental health struggles.

VA officials say the numbers of veteran suicides in Western New York is considerably lower than the national average.

That's thanks in part to the Erie County Suicide Prevention Task Force, an increase in mental health services and a number of outreach programs.

"We're definitely doing a good job locally,” said Jill Murray, a VA Behavior Health Care Line Manager. “I'm proud to see nationally so many organizations, including the Veterans Health Administration, really partnering with other large federal agencies and community partners to reduce stigma, to make sure we take away shame and blame and recognize that as a public health issue."

"These services are really working for veterans,” Shenk said. “These veterans really put life on hold when they go off into a combat zone and that's where many of them do experience a trigger for PTSD."

Veterans said they’d like to see more support from lawmakers at the federal level.

"If you're willing to send us to war and we're willing to put our life on the line, you should be willing to give us the healthcare we need,” Patton said. “We've been involved in war for over 30 years. We're getting to see more people with PTSD and that's overwhelming the system because the VA is already not as staffed as it should be even at the best places."

Veterans in need of help also can turn to the Veterans One-Stop Center of WNY. The center is contributing to a new research initiative called Operation Deep Dive, in collaboration with America’s Warrior Partnership.

“Researchers will work alongside the Veterans One-Stop Center of Western New York to interview local medical examiners and coroners, veterans, military families and other community leaders to help determine the different cultural and geographical elements unique to the region that may affect the likelihood of suicide,” says Chuck Marra, the center’s president and CEO.

The center also is home to the We Are Dwyer program, a peer support program that provides veterans with a safe place and encourages them to “develop connections with peers and the community to make the transition from military to civilian life seamless.”

Anyone in need of assistance or interested in more information can contact the center at 716-898-0110.