{"id":74324,"date":"2023-11-16T18:00:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T18:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/11\/16\/veteran-suicides-rose-in-2021-despite-increased-prevention-efforts\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:33:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:33:43","slug":"veteran-suicides-rose-in-2021-despite-increased-prevention-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2023\/11\/16\/veteran-suicides-rose-in-2021-despite-increased-prevention-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Veteran suicides rose in 2021 despite increased prevention efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2023\/08\/30\/suicide-prevention-campaign-urges-vets-to-be-the-one-who-reaches-out\/\" target=\"_blank\">suicide rate among veterans<\/a> rose slightly in 2021 as federal officials struggled to make more progress in their outreach and emergency response efforts designed to curb self-harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to estimates released by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/military-honor\/salute-veterans\/2023\/11\/08\/mcdonough-wants-va-to-reach-every-veteran-in-the-country\/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a> on Thursday, suicides among veterans were up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/09\/19\/veterans-suicides-drop-to-lowest-rate-since-2006\/\" target=\"_blank\">1.8% from 2020 to 2021, <\/a>the most recent year for which state death data is available. The totals had dropped each of the two years before the 2021 reversal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An estimated 17.5 veterans died by suicide every day in 2021. That\u2019s the second lowest rate since 2007 but still translates into nearly 6,400 preventable veteran deaths that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials said stress from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\">coronavirus pandemic <\/a>may be partially to blame for the increase, noting that suicide rates across America rose from 2020 to 2021. Researchers also found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/11\/17\/va-suicide-prevention-efforts-need-more-focus-on-gun-safety-training\/\" target=\"_blank\">higher levels of gun ownership<\/a> among all Americans in 2021, a complicating factor since most veteran suicide deaths involve firearms.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2023\/08\/30\/suicide-prevention-campaign-urges-vets-to-be-the-one-who-reaches-out\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"182\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LegionSuicide.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Suicide prevention campaign urges vets to \u2018be the one\u2019 who reaches out<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">American Legion officials hope new partnerships and more focused discussions will amplify their campaign.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But they emphasized that suicidal thoughts and actions are rarely the result of a single factor, and addressing the problem will require a complex array of support services and public education efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 71,000 veterans died as a result of suicide from 2011 to 2021. That\u2019s 10 times the total number of troops killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe will do everything in our power to learn from this report and use its findings to help us save lives,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/07\/21\/after-a-5-year-wait-va-gets-a-new-top-medical-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\">VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal <\/a>said in a statement accompanying the data release. \u201cIt will take all of us working together to end veteran suicide, and we will not rest until that goal becomes a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA researchers found that veterans are nearly twice as likely as their civilian peers to die by suicide, a persistent trend in recent years that has led to billions of dollars in outreach and intervention programs over the last 20 years. But efforts to bring down those suicide totals have been limited and inconsistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fewer than 40% of the suicide deaths among veterans involved individuals who had recently used VA health services. Department leaders said that points to the need for wider community involvement in helping veterans in times of crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVA health care is not the only part of the answer,\u201d Elnahal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Researchers found lower rates of suicide among veterans aged 75 years and older and those 34 years and younger, both encouraging signs. But they also reported higher rates among women veterans, homeless veterans, American Indian and Alaska native veterans, and numerous other subsets of the veteran population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the last year, VA officials have launched several initiatives to help provide additional support services to veterans experiencing mental health emergencies. That includes offering no-cost suicide prevention care at any health care facility \u2014 VA managed or unaffiliated with the department \u2014 since January, an effort officials said has already helped 33,000 veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1125\" height=\"649\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SuicideSlide2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-107869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SuicideSlide2.jpg.jpg 1125w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SuicideSlide2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,173 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SuicideSlide2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,443 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SuicideSlide2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,591 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1125px) 100vw, 1125px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A slide from the Department of Veterans Affairs annual report on veterans suicides shows higher death rates among former service members than the rest of the American public. (Courtesy of VA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The department has also increased campaigns focused on the safe storage of firearms, which were used in 72% of veteran suicides in 2021. By contrast, 54% of all U.S. suicide deaths in 2021 involved guns. These efforts have included distribution of more than 400,000 gun locks and lethal means safety training to about 2,300 community health care providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/management\/leadership\/2023\/11\/08\/nearly-450000-staff-and-growing-just-how-large-will-va-get\/\" target=\"_blank\">Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough<\/a>, in a statement accompanying the report, acknowledged that more needs to be done on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne veteran suicide will always be one too many, and we at VA will use every tool at our disposal to prevent these tragedies and save veterans\u2019 lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Including suicide deaths among active-duty troops, National Guard personnel and military reserve members raises the suicide rate for the military and veterans community to about 20 individuals every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some veterans advocates have argued that figure is likely much higher, because some drug overdose deaths and other accidental fatalities are not included in official federal calculations of suicides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., called the report\u2019s findings worrisome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToo many of our veterans are still suffering in silence,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cWhile Congress has made an incredible investment in VA\u2019s suicide prevention efforts over the past decade \u2026 this increase is still troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bill Clark, national commander at AMVETS, called for large-scale changes in VA\u2019s approach to suicide prevention in light of the lack of progress in addressing the problem over the last 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe cannot afford to lose more lives while navigating bureaucratic processes,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need swift, decisive action that puts the well-being of our veterans at the forefront.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Veterans in need of emergency counseling can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and selecting option 1 after connecting to reach a VA staffer. In addition, veterans, troops or their family members can also text 838255 for help, or visit <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/veteranscrisisline.net\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>VeteransCrisisLine.net<\/i><\/a><i> for assistance.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 70,000 veterans died by suicide from 2011 to 2001.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":107868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,12,24,16,26,65,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3328],"class_list":["post-74324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-education-transition","category-home","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"Q3XSRXMHN5GDVLMJC6KQTP6TE4","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2023\/11\/16\/veteran-suicides-rose-in-2021-despite-increased-prevention-efforts\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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