Although service members know they may lose their lives in combat in service of their country, they may not expect to lose their lives – or those they love – to suicide. A 2021 study estimated that active duty service members and veterans died by suicide as died in battle since 9/11. Despite recent to improve suicide prevention within the military, suicide rates remain elevated among service members.
In particular, active duty Army suicide rates were nearly two times higher than other and more than two and a half times higher than the . Suicide rates are even more elevated in veterans, with an estimated by suicide each day in 2021. is aimed at identifying what drives high rates of suicide among certain groups.
Better understanding what causes active duty service members and veterans to think about and plan suicide is imperative for efforts to prevent it. There are many reasons why service members and veterans may have elevated rates of thoughts of suicide and death. Notably, risk factors for active duty service members can be different from those of veterans.
active duty service members include loneliness, relationship issues, workplace difficulties, trauma, disrupted schedules, increased stress, poor sleep, injury, and chronic pain. On top of these same factors, veterans may also experience difficulties . Additionally, service members may have an elevated capability for suicide, meaning a decreased fear of death, high pain tolerance and familiarity with using like firear.
