Veteran suicide rate is down, but nearly 17 soldiers take their own lives every day
After the national Veterans Crisis Line fumbled communications with a suicidal veteran who later took his own life, the Veterans Health Administration announced it would improve its suicide prevention efforts.
News of the veteran’s suicide was part of a report that also revealed the VCL failed for 10 years to save veterans' text messages for future follow-up. The analysis was released on Sept. 14, during National Suicide Prevention Week.
Suicide remains a concern for American civilians and veterans. While veteran suicides have declined in the recently charted years – 2020 had the lowest number since 2006 – the rates remain significantly higher than that of civilians.
In 2020, however, there were 6,146 veteran suicides. That averages to nearly 17 vets taking their own lives every day, according to the 2022 report by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2020, the suicide rate for veterans was 57% higher than for non-veteran U.S. adults, adjusting for population age and sex differences, the report said.
Paste BN examined the data of that report. Here is some of what we found.
Veteran and civilian suicide rates
The average number of suicides per day was 121 for all U.S. adults, including veterans, in 2020. Veterans – who are just a fraction of the U.S. population – accounted for about 14% of those deaths, or 16.7 people a day. That's up from 16.4 veterans in 2001.
The unadjusted suicide rate for all adults per 100,000 in 2020:
◾ All adults: 16.1
◾ Veterans: 31.7
That's despite a nearly 25% decrease in the number of veterans during the same period.
Veterans ages 55-74 have highest number of suicides...
...but those ages 18-34 have the highest rate
The unadjusted suicide rate for veterans rose in every age group between 2001 and 2020:
◾ Age 18-34: up 95%
◾ Ages 35-54: up 13%
◾ Ages 55-74: up 58%
◾ 75 and older: up 21%
Veteran suicides by ethnicity
Though suicide rates declined in all ethnic categories from 2019 to 2020, the rate for white veterans was more than double that of Black veterans in 2020.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline which provides confidential 24/7 support by dialing 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.
Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.
CONTRIBUTING Vanessa Arredondo, Donovan Slack, Jim Sergent and Veronica Bravo, Paste BN
SOURCE Paste BN Network reporting and research; Associated Press; Department of Veterans Affairs; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; National Institutes of Health