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Veterans continue to be more at risk of committing suicide than the rest of the U.S. population, and more former service members ages 55 to 74 are taking their own lives than in any other age group, according to new data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans were 1.5 times as likely to commit suicide as nonveterans between 2005 and 2017, the period studied in the VA’s latest annual suicide prevention report.
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Among the other findings:
Veteran suicide hotlines
• The Veterans Crisis Line can be reached at 800-273-8255 and is available to anyone even if not registered with the VA. It is also accessible by text at 838255. Deaf or hearing-impaired veterans can call 800-799-4889.
• AMVETS has a toll-free number staffed by professional nurses from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET every day — 833-VET-HEAL (833-838-4325) — where veterans can get assistance with finding mental health and many other services.
• Absolute numbers. Veterans ages 55 to 74 had the highest incidence of suicide, accounting for 38 percent of all veteran deaths by suicide in 2017.
• Highest rate. Although more older former service members are committing suicide than are other veterans, younger veterans are taking their own lives at a higher rate than any other group. In 2017, 44.5 per 100,000 veterans ages 18 to 34 committed suicide.
• Deaths each day. The average number of veteran suicide deaths per day rose to 16.8 in 2017, an increase from 16.4 suicide deaths per day the previous year.
• Totals top 6,000. From 2008 to 2017, the number of veteran suicides exceeded 6,000 per year. 2017 is among the five highest years for suicides, but the number of veterans is at its lowest since 2008.
• Firearms often used. Almost 70 percent of the deaths involved a gun, compared with about 48 percent of civilian suicides.
“VA is working to prevent suicide among all veterans, whether they are enrolled in VA health care or not,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement. “That’s why the department has adopted a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention, using bundled strategies that cut across various sectors — faith communities, employers, schools and health care organizations, for example — to reach Veterans where they live and thrive.”
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