United States military veteran suicide

The United States military veteran suicide epidemic[1][2] is an ongoing phenomenon regarding a reported high rate of suicide among U.S. military veterans, in comparison to the general public.[3]

Background

6,500 former military personnel killed themselves in 2012. More veterans succumbed to suicide than were killed in Iraq. In 2012, 177 active-duty soldiers committed suicide, conversely 176 soldiers were killed in combat. In other words, more soldiers committed suicide compared to being killed in action. In 2012, the study concluded that Army had the highest number of suicides compared to any other service branch. [1]

In 2013, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs released a study that covered suicides from 1999 to 2010, which showed that roughly 22 veterans were committing suicide per day, or one every 65 minutes.[4] Some sources suggest that this rate may be undercounting suicides.[5] A recent analysis found a suicide rate among veterans of about 30 per 100,000 population per year, compared with the civilian rate of 14 per 100,000.[5][6] However, the comparison was not adjusted for age and sex.

The total number of suicides differs by age group; 31% of these suicides were by veterans 49 and younger while 69% were by veterans aged 50 and older.[7] As with suicides in general, suicide of veterans is primarily male, with about 97 percent of the suicides being male in the states that reported gender.[6]

In 2015, the Clay Hunt Veterans Suicide Prevention Act passed in the Senate[8] and was then enacted as Pub.L. 114–2 on February 12, 2015.

Causes


A study published in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine found that,

Combat veterans are not only more likely to have suicidal ideation, often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, but they are more likely to act on a suicidal plan. Especially since veterans may be less likely to seek help from a mental health professional, non-mental-health physicians are in a key position to screen for PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation in these patients.

The same study also found that in veterans with PTSD related to combat experience, combat-related guilt may be a significant predictor of suicidal ideation and attempts.[9]

Craig Bryan of the University of Utah National Center for Veterans Studies said that veterans have the same risk factors for suicide as the general population, including feelings of depression, hopelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder, a history of trauma, and access to firearms.[6]

Critique

Critics of this reporting such as author Tim Worstall claim that there is no epidemic when comparing similar demographic cohorts in the civilian population. He points out that since vets are predominantly male, the suicide rate to compare to is not the general civilian rate, but the rate for males[10] The US Department of Veteran's Affairs has provided numbers that show the suicide rates for veterans are higher for male veterans than the general population (32.1 per 100,000) than the non-veteran male population (28.7 per 100,000) and much higher for female veterans than the non-veteran female population (20.9 vs. 5.2 per 100,000). [11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 February 1, 2013. Ed Pilkington. US military struggling to stop suicide epidemic among war veterans. The Guardian. Retrieved: 23 May 2014.
  2. ↑ April 3, 2014. Jordain Carney. How Can Government Battle a 'Suicide Epidemic' Among Veterans?. National Journal. Retrieved: 23 May 2014.
  3. ↑ January 10, 2014. Denver Nicks. Report: Suicide Rate Soars Among Young Vets. "The suicide rate among veterans remains well above that for the general population, with roughly 22 former servicemen and women committing suicide every day." TIME. Retrieved: 23 May 2014.
  4. ↑ February 1, 2013. U.S. military veteran suicides rise, one dies every 65 minutes. Reuters. Retrieved: 23 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 Moni Basu, Why suicide rate among veterans may be more than 22 a day, CNN, November 14, 2013. Retrieved: 25 December 2014
  6. 1 2 3 Jeff Hargarten, Forrest Burnson, Bonnie Campo and Chase Cook, Veteran Suicides Twice as High as Civilian Rates, News21, Aug. 24, 2013. Retrieved: 25 December 2014.
  7. ↑ February 5, 2013. Melanie Haiken. Suicide Rate Among Vets and Active Duty Military Jumps - Now 22 A Day. Forbes. Retrieved: 23 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Clay Hunt veterans suicide prevention act passes in Senate, will head to White House".
  9. ↑ Leo Sher, MD. Maria Dolores Braquehais, MD, PhD. Miquel Casas, MD, PhD. Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicide in veterans. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.79a.11069 Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine February 2012 vol. 79 2 92-97. Retrieved: 25 May 2014.
  10. ↑ But There Isn't An Epidemic Of Suicide In The US Military.
  11. ↑ Zarembo, Alan (2015-06-08). "Suicide rate of female military veterans is called staggering". LA Times. Retrieved 2015-08-06.

Further reading

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