A Center for Disease Control study on suicide rates in the United States from 1999-2016 came out in June of this year. The stats aren't good. Rates of suicide across the board have "risen nearly 30% since 1999" (Stone, Simon, Fowler, Kegler, Yuan, Holland, Ivey-Stephenson, & Crosby, 2018). Montana had the highest rate of suicide, and North Dakota's rate rose nearly 60% from 2014 to 2016 (Nutt, 2018). Rural areas have been hit hard by this epidemic as has the white male population. The only state in the Union that declined over this period was Nevada, but it's rate remained above the national average of 13.4 per 100,000 (Nutt, 2018). While suicide has become the 10th-leading cause of death, it is the 2nd-leading cause of death for our young adults (15 to 34 year olds). These statistics are not even taking into account suicide attempts, or overdoses that were ruled accidental, but were in fact suicides. While mental health plays a huge part in these statistics, many recognize issues such as the 2008 recession (the so-called Great Recession), decreased personal interaction due to electronics, and opioid use and addiction. "Habitual users of opioids were twice as likely to attempt suicide as people who did not use them" (Nutt, 2018).
With veterans being prescribed opioids for pain relief at an alarming rate and the higher unemployment rates for veteran versus non-veterans between 2000 and 2011 (Loughran, 2014), the risk factors for our military community are increased. Fortunately the unemployment rates for veterans have decreased overall to become more in line with national averages, but female veteran rates continue to be higher than female nonveterans (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018).
As governmental agencies like the CDC and the V.A. struggle to understand why suicide rates continue to climb, each of us must work to help those we know who are considering suicide or at risk for suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the Veterans Crisis Line or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline!
Resources
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (March 22, 2018). Employment situation of veterans summary. Retrieved from www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm
Loughran, D. (2014). Why is veteran unemployment so high? Rand Corporation. Retrieved from www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR284.html
Nutt, A. E. (Jun 7, 2018). Suicide rates rise sharply across the United States, new report shows. Washington Post. Retrieved from
www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/06/07/u-s-suicide-rates-rise-sharply-across-the-country-new-report-shows/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c3f464947320
Stone, D. M., Simon, T. R., Fowler, K. A., Kegler, S. R., Yuan, K., Holland, K. M., Ivey-Stephenson, A. Z., & Crosby, A. E. (June 8, 2018). Vital signs: Trends in state suicide rates – United States, 1999-2016 and circumstances contributing to suicide – 27 states, 2015. Retrieved from
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6722a1.htm?s_cid=mm6722a1_x.
With veterans being prescribed opioids for pain relief at an alarming rate and the higher unemployment rates for veteran versus non-veterans between 2000 and 2011 (Loughran, 2014), the risk factors for our military community are increased. Fortunately the unemployment rates for veterans have decreased overall to become more in line with national averages, but female veteran rates continue to be higher than female nonveterans (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018).
As governmental agencies like the CDC and the V.A. struggle to understand why suicide rates continue to climb, each of us must work to help those we know who are considering suicide or at risk for suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the Veterans Crisis Line or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline!
Resources
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (March 22, 2018). Employment situation of veterans summary. Retrieved from www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm
Loughran, D. (2014). Why is veteran unemployment so high? Rand Corporation. Retrieved from www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR284.html
Nutt, A. E. (Jun 7, 2018). Suicide rates rise sharply across the United States, new report shows. Washington Post. Retrieved from
www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/06/07/u-s-suicide-rates-rise-sharply-across-the-country-new-report-shows/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c3f464947320
Stone, D. M., Simon, T. R., Fowler, K. A., Kegler, S. R., Yuan, K., Holland, K. M., Ivey-Stephenson, A. Z., & Crosby, A. E. (June 8, 2018). Vital signs: Trends in state suicide rates – United States, 1999-2016 and circumstances contributing to suicide – 27 states, 2015. Retrieved from
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6722a1.htm?s_cid=mm6722a1_x.