New VA Study Says 20 Veterans Commit Suicide Per Day

Some 1,892 American flags are installed on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on March 27, 2014. The Iraq and Afghanistan veterans installed the flags to represent the 1,892 veterans and service members who committed suicide this year. Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Within those numbers, male veterans who used VA services had an increased suicide rate of 11 percent, while those who didn’t had a spike of 35 percent. For females, the suicide rate for those who used VA resources was 4.6 percent, while women who didn’t saw an increase of 98 percent.

The overall suicide rate in the United States has dramatically increased in recent years and is the tenth leading cause of death.

A report released in April by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a 24 percent increase in suicide in the general population from 1999 to 2014. 

The final VA report on veteran suicides will be released later this month.

READ MORE

• Jobs That Have Highest Suicide Rates Are Male-Oriented, Says CDC Study