Study: Suicides Increase

While the suicide rate for both veterans and non-veterans is rising, recent analysis by the Department of Veterans Affairs still shows that 20 veterans kill themselves each day. Veterans who use VA’s Veterans Health Administration for care are less likely to do so, according to the VA National Suicide Data Report 2005-2015. The study focused on statistics involving both those who served in uniform and who did not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), VA and the Defense Department (DoD) provided data, based on analysis of millions of records. The agencies that contributed to the report intend to issue a thorough analysis of the data sometime this fall.
Statistics regarding veterans addressed race, age, gender, service branch, suicide method and risk factors.
Recognizing the severity of the problem, VA has instituted or enhanced several initiatives aimed at addressing suicide. They include:
* Expansion of its Veterans Crisis Line.
* New cross-sector partnerships.
* The Joint Action Plan for Supporting Veterans During Their Transition from Uniformed Service to Civilian Life.
* A National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide.
To view the report, visit https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/Suicide-Prevention-Data.asp on the web.