xEmbed
xShare
Veteran suicide rates remain high seven years after the rate of suicides by soldiers more than doubled and the Army's effort to reduce the tragic pace. Experts worry the problem is a "new normal."
Twenty veterans a day committed suicide in 2014, a trend made worse by high rates among young male veterans and the suicidal tendencies among female veterans, according to the VA.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)
An average of 20 veterans a day committed suicide in 2014, a trend that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>reflects<span style="color: Red;">*</span>record high rates among young men fresh out of the military and growing numbers of women taking their lives, the first actual count of suicides<span style="color: Red;">*</span>among former service members shows.
The Department of Veterans Affairs previously had only estimated suicides, saying in 2010 there was an average of 22 a day. The 2014 data released Thursday is based on a precise tabulation<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of the 7,403 deaths.
David Shulkin, VA undersecretary for health, noted the slight decline from the 2010<span style="color: Red;">*</span>estimate, but added, "it's still far too high."
The 2014 count is the first slice of a massive examination of 55 million veteran death records dating back to 1979. Shulkin said that a final report due in several weeks will detail more<span style="color: Red;">*</span>suicide trends.
The VA found the worst suicide pattern<span style="color: Red;">*</span>among male<span style="color: Red;">*</span>veterans, ages 18-29. Their suicide rate was 86 per 100,000 people,<span style="color: Red;">*</span><span style="color: Red;">*</span>nearly four times the rate among active-duty service members last year.
By contrast, the overall<span style="color: Red;">*</span>U.S. suicide rate is 13 per<span style="color: Red;">*</span>100,000<span style="color: Red;">*</span>people, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
USA TODAY
Experts worry high military suicide rates are 'new normal'
The new figures show the suicide rate among young female veterans, ages 18-29, was 33 per 100,000 — more than double the overall U.S. rate.
Shulkin said the suicide rate among all female veterans was more than double that of women who<span style="color: Red;">*</span>didn't serve in the military.
"It is difficult to understand why that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is happening.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>It is one of the things that I think will become a central research question for us," he said.
Shulkin said more research is needed to determine whether women who served<span style="color: Red;">*</span>closer to combat or<span style="color: Red;">*</span>experienced sexual trauma in the military put them at greater risk of taking their own lives.
USA TODAY
VA suicide hotline workers ripped for failing vets
He said the VA has taken several "aggressive" steps to deal with the high suicide rates. They include adding staff to the crisis hotline for veterans<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(800-273-8255), identifying veterans at high risk, increasing mental health counselors and expanding<span style="color: Red;">*</span>mental health therapy via telephone.
In 2014, veterans accounted for 18% of all suicides in the United States,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>but made up only 8.5% of the population. In 2010, veterans accounted for 22% of U.S. suicides and 9.7% of the population.
Powered By WizardRSS.com |
Full Text RSS Feed
