Suicide
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Top vet group survey: 44 percent report suicidal thoughts since joining military
Type of content: News
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) this week released a survey showing that 44 percent of respondents said they have thought about suicide since joining the military, with only 10 percent saying they had thought about it prior to military service.
The top veteran advocacy organization’s 10th annual survey was issued over a three-week period in December and January to all IAVA member veterans and over 1,700 veterans responded.
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Marine Corps Suicide Rate Declines, Navy Rate Rises in 2019
Type of content: News
In 2019, 47 active-duty Marines committed suicide – 11 fewer than in 2018 – while the Navy reported 72 suicides, four more than a year earlier, according to preliminary totals from both services.
The Marine Corps suicide rate for the calendar year 2019 was 25.3 per 100,000 active-duty Marines, a decrease from the rate of 30.7 per 100,000 active-duty Marines in 2018.
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Insomnia, Sleep Disturbances Common Among Veterans With PTSD
Type of content: News
Insomnia-related sleep complaints were found to be highly prevalent in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
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Brain-injured warfighters face elevated long-term mental health risks, study finds
Type of content: News
Service members who suffered moderate to severe traumatic brain injury in combat have significantly higher incidence of mental health disorders in following years as compared to warfighters who sustained other traumatic injuries, a study found.
The study, published in the current issue of the journal Military Medicine, examined almost 5,000 cases of traumatic injury experienced by Marines, soldiers, airmen and sailors during combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan from February 2002 to February 2011.
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Alarming VA Report Totals Decade of Veteran Suicides
Type of content: News
The Department of Veterans Affairs released an alarming report Friday showing that at least 60,000 veterans died by suicide between 2008 and 2017, with little sign that the crisis is abating despite suicide prevention being the VA's top priority.
Although the total population of veterans declined by 18% during that span of years, more than 6,000 veterans died by suicide annually, according to the VA's 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.
- Topics
- Suicide
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Pentagon to Issue New Annual Report on Service Member, Family Suicides
Type of content: News
The Pentagon will put out a new annual report on military suicide starting this year, Defense Suicide Prevention Office Director Karin Orvis announced Aug. 27.
The inaugural report, due out this fall, will detail data on suicide incidents among troops and their family members that occurred in 2018, according to DOD.
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Veterans with PTSD twice as likely to die from suicide, accidents, study says
Type of content: News
June 24 (UPI) -- For many veterans, life in combat is hard, but for those who survive it, the mental stress of war can be deadly, new research shows.
Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder have twice the risk of dying from accidental injury, viral hepatitis and suicide compared to the general population, according to a study published Monday in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. They also have a higher risk of developing chronic liver disease and diabetes.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Suicide
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Endless struggle: Vermont’s veteran suicide rate is among highest in the nation
Type of content: News
In Valerie Pallotta’s eyes, her son, Josh, was always determined to do what he liked, including fighting for his country.
When Josh came home one day in 2009 and told her he was joining the Vermont National Guard, she asked if he realized he would be deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“He said ‘I know. That’s why I’m joining’,” Valerie said.
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New Military Suicide Report May Revive Debate Over Gun Restrictions
Type of content: News
A new report from the Defense Department is likely to revive debate over the prospect of using "means restriction" -- limiting access to firearms -- as a way to reduce the number of suicides among U.S. troops.
According to a DoD report on military suicides in 2017 released Wednesday, two-thirds of suicides among active-duty personnel that year were by firearm, a statistic consistent with the previous five years.
Of the 309 suicides among active-duty troops in 2017, firearms played a role in 202 deaths. Most were privately owned guns, not service weapons.
- Topics
- DoD
- Legislation
- Mental Health
- Suicide
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Defense Department, VA Gear Up to Host Suicide Prevention Conference
Type of content: News
The Defense and Veterans Affairs Departments will team up in August to hold a conference on suicide prevention in Nashville.
The meeting, the first in two years, will bring together the suicide prevention offices of both departments and the military services, as well as subject-matter experts from academia, nonprofit groups and veterans and military support organizations, to address the ongoing battle against active-duty and veteran suicides.
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