Tag Archives: suicides

Combat deployments not a major factor in suicide risk, new study suggests


By SB Anderson

While military suicides have risen to record numbers in recent years, combat deployments are not a major risk factor contributing to them, a new study published in Journal of the American Medical Association reports.

Men with depression, manic disorder or alcohol abuse issues were at greater risk, the study of 83 suicide cases from 2001 to 2008 showed.

‘The findings from this study are not consistent with the assumption that specific deployment-related characteristics, such as length of deployment, number of deployments, or combat experiences, are directly associated with increased suicide risk,” the report says. “Instead, the risk factors associated with suicide in this military population are consistent with civilian populations, including male sex and mental disorders.”

The authors concede that because their analysis only includes data through 2008, “we did not capture suicides in the most recent time period when the rates were the highest. However, the study did include the 3 years with the sharpest statistically significant increases in suicides.”

“It is possible that the cumulative strain of multiple and lengthy deployments only began to be reflected in suicide rates toward the later stages of the conflicts, although the overall evidence points to the lack of any specific deployment-related effects.”

The study was funded by the Department of Defense.

The New York Times has a good summary of the study’s findings, as well as feedback. The full paper is embedded below.



Suicide the ‘most important issue’ for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, survey says


By SB Anderson

A new survey from a veterans group found 30% of those veterans surveyed have considered suicide; 45% know an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran who has attempted suicide and 63% have veteran friends “who they feel need care for a mental health injury.”

The 4,104 veterans who responded to the annual Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association membership survey said suicide, in fact, was the most important issue they face. Some 37% know a veteran who has committed suicide and of those who know someone, 60% know more than one. (See the full report embedded below).

“The 2013 survey highlights some alarming downward trends in veteran care,” an IAVA release on the study said.

The Veterans Administration estimates about 22 veterans kill themselves each day. Of those, about 2 in 3 are older than 50. Only 12% of those who responded to the survey were 50 or older, which is not surprising given the recency of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A few other findings.

  • 40% of respondents have a claim pending with the VA. Of those, 45% have been waiting longer than a year. The VA is trying to tackle an enormous backlog of disability claims but does not expect appreciable improvement until 2015.
  • 31% said they had served with an openly gay service member; just over half support extending Department of Defense benefits to same-sex partners.
  • Congress and the President get poor grades for listening to veteran’s issues and the VA itself gets mixed grades.
  • The IAVA calculates the umemplyment rate among those who responded at 16%. Nearly half have haven’t worked for a year or more; a quarter are unable to find any work.
  • Among women, nearly two-thirds had a neutral or negative opinion about health care and treatment from the VA.

The survey was conducted from Feb. 2 to Feb. 17. It included responses from 4,104 Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. Of those, 3,274 are confirmed veterans who submitted proof of wartime service. The findings are not believed to reflect the veteran population as a whole. Sixty percent served in Iraq; 16% in Afghanistan and 23% in both.



First half of 2013 saw Army inactive reserve suicides eclipse those of active duty troops


By SB Anderson

U.S. Army suicides were up 7% in the first half of 2013 compared to 2012, but suicides among inactive reserve soldiers was up even more dramatically — 40% vs. a 13% decline for those on active duty, updated data from the Pentagon released on Tuesday afternoon shows.

There was a potential suicide on average every 1.2 days for active duty and inactive reserves combined, about same as a year ago. For inactive reserves, however, a potential suicide every 3.1 days a year ago is now every 2.3 days. Among active duty, it’s one every 2.4 days vs. 2.1 days in the first half of 2012.

The rise in suicides among inactive reserves compared to active duty began in late 2012 and has continued almost each month for most of this year. For June, inactive reserves were again lower than active duty, 8 vs. 14. The increase is not necessarily surprising given the recent drawdown in troops in Afghanistan and declines in active duty personnel.

The table below shows year-to-date data for this year and 2012.

SOURCE: National Security Zone analysis and aggregation of Pentagon data.

Each month, the Army reports potential suicides for the previous month, broken down by active duty and inactive reserves (Army National Guard and Army Reserves), and by number confirmed and still under investigation. Each release updates numbers from the previous month’s release, and includes a running year-to-date total, as well as annual totals for the previous year. The latter are updated during the first months of the following year to reflect additional confirmations.

Review and download our archived monthly and annual data on military suicides.

TBI a contributor to military suicide?


By SB Anderson

Three interesting and important stories in the past two days on military suicides:

→ Repeat Brain Injury Raises Soldiers’ Suicide Risk

People in the military who suffer more than one mild traumatic brain injury face a significantly higher risk of suicide, according to research by the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah.

A survey of 161 military personnel who were stationed in Iraq and evaluated for a possible traumatic brain injury – also known as TBI – showed that the risk for suicidal thoughts or behaviors increased not only in the short term, as measured during the past 12 months, but during the individual’s lifetime.

→ In Calculation of Military Rates, the Numbers Are Not All Straightforward

As the number of suicides in the military began rising a decade ago, Pentagon officials could often be heard repeating a common defense: The military’s suicide rate was still lower than the rate for civilians of comparable age, sex and race.

But an analysis of Pentagon data shows that the Department of Defense uses numbers that may underestimate its suicide rate. A different methodology, like one employed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would result in a military rate equivalent to or above the comparable civilian rate, experts say.

→ Baffling Rise in Suicides Plagues the U.S. Military

[T]though the Pentagon has commissioned numerous reports and invested tens of millions of dollars in research and prevention programs, experts concede they are little closer to understanding the root causes of why military suicide is rising so fast.

“Any one variable in isolation doesn’t explain things,” said Craig J. Bryan, associate director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah. “But the interaction of all of them do. That’s what makes it very difficult to solve the problem. And that’s why we haven’t made advances.”

Data updates: Army suicides up so far this year; veteran jobless rate down slightly since Feb.


By SB Anderson

Monthly updates on two data streams we monitor for you and provide downloadable data.

MILITARY SUICIDES: Potential suicides among inactive U.S. Army reservists troops are up 25% through March compared to the same period a year ago, data from the Army shows. The number of potential suicides among active duty soliders is down 9%.

Reserve inactive suicides drove the increase, with 20 more potential suicides in the first quarter vs. 2012. The number of potential active duty suicides declined by four.   

Army suicides were up significantly last year compared to a year earlier — 325 either confirmed or under investigation among active duty and inactive reservists, compared to 283 confirmed the year before. Across all military branches, active duty suicides were up 16% over 2011, with the Army comprising the largest share, data released earlier this year show. 

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View more data, including downloadable spreadsheets.

UNEMPLOYMENT:  Unemployment among 9/11-era veterans dropped slightly in March compared to the month before — 9.2% vs. 9.4%, but edged up slightly for women to 11.8% compared to 11.6%, new federal data shows.

The rate for 9/11-era women was up from a year ago — 8% v. 7.4% — while the overall rate for men and women combined was down to 7.1% from 7.5%. 

The rate for all veterans in March was up slightly to 7.1% from a month earlier, but showed improvement over the 7.5% rate in March 2012. A total of 783,000 veterans were unemployed in March. Of those, 207,000 — or 26% — were in the service since 9/11. The civilian unemployment rate in March was 7.4%.

Review and download the unemployment data.