Every veteran suicide is a tragic outcome and regardless of the numbers or rates, one veteran suicide is too many. We continue to spread the word throughout VA that “Suicide Prevention is Everyone’s Business.”
Although we understand why some veterans may be at increased risk, we continue to investigate and take proactive steps.
The ultimate goal is eliminating suicide among veterans. VA relies on multiple sources of information to identify deaths that potentially are due to suicide.
This includes VA’s own Beneficiary Identification and Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) and data compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics in its National Death Index.
In addition, we request current information directly from each state and maintain our own databases of known events and completions.
These sources give us specific indications about veteran vulnerability to suicide:
• Approximately 40,000 US deaths from suicide per year among the population overall (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• 22 percent of those who die by suicide are veterans (VA Suicide Data Report, 2012).
• 42 percent increased risk for suicide among users of VHA services when compared to rates of suicide in the US general population (VA Serious Mental Illness Treatment, Research and Evaluation Center, 2011).
• 5 suicide related deaths per day among veterans receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (VA Serious Mental Illness Treatment, Research and Evaluation Center).
• 1,300 suicide deaths, attempts, and reports of serious ideation per month among veterans receiving care reported to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) suicide prevention coordinators (2014).
• 14 percent of those who have a reported suicide event in fiscal year (FY) 2011 (and did not die as a result of the event) had a report of a repeat suicide event within the next 12 months. Among those who survived their first suicide attempt and reattempted suicide within the next 12 months, less than one percent died from suicide (VA Suicide Data Report Update, 2014).
Preliminary evidence suggests that since 2006, there are decreased suicide rates in veterans (men and women) ages 18 to 29 who use VA health care services relative to veterans in the same age group who do not.
This decrease in rates translates to approximately 250 lives per year (State Mortality Project). More than 60 percent of suicides among those who use VHA services are among patients with a known diagnosis of a mental health condition (Serious Mental Illness Treatment Research and Education Center).
Veterans are more likely than the general population to use firearms as a means for suicide (State Mortality Project).
In terms of specific numbers, preliminary evidence on the incidence of veteran suicide events and serious suicide ideation can be derived from data from the VA’s Suicide Prevention Coordinator reports. While this may under represent the total number of events, it does provide important information.
In FY 2014 among users of VHA services the number of known events (non-fatal, undetermined, and suicides) was 15,048. Of these 3,558 were OEF/OIF/OND vets.
Longitudinal data derived from national sources demonstrate suicide rates among male and female veterans of particular age cohorts.
• The suicide rate is higher for men than for women. This is true for the US population (and in much of the world) as well as for veterans.
• Overall, the highest rate for male veterans from OEF/OIF was during FY 2004. This was the year when VA, for a variety of reasons, recognized problems in its mental health care and developed a VA Comprehensive Mental Health Strategic Plan (MHSP) to address them.
Data in subsequent years, when overall mental health care was greatly enhanced, show reduced rates between the time periods FY 2005-2007 and FY 2009-2010. It is concerning that the 2011 numbers are again rising, but this can be attributed to male veterans between the ages 18-49 years and female veterans between the ages of 18 and 24.
• Focused suicide prevention efforts, such as the Veterans Crisis Line and hiring of suicide prevention coordinators, began in FY 2007 with full implementation in FY 2008. Data needed to see the full impact of VA’s intensive efforts focused specifically on suicide prevention is emerging.
Those initiatives and early indicators of change are described in detail in the following section. (Source: VAntage Point Blog | May 12, 2016)