Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2019, 12 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million made a plan, and 1.4 million attempted suicide. Suicide was responsible for more than 47,500 deaths in 2019.

The financial toll of suicide on society is also costly. Suicides and suicide attempts cost the nation over $70 billion per year in lifetime medical and work-loss costs alone.

Protective factors, or those influences that buffer against the risk for suicide, can also be found across the different levels of the social ecological model. Protective factors identified in the literature include: effective coping and problem-solving skills, moral objections to suicide, strong and supportive relationships with partners, friends, and family; connectedness to school, community, and other social institutions; availability of quality and ongoing physical and mental health care, and reduced access to lethal means. These protective factors can either counter a specific risk factor or buffer against a number of risks associated with suicide. 

The health and economic consequences of suicide are substantial. Suicide and suicide attempts have far reaching consequences for individuals, families, and communities. In an early study, Crosby and Sacks estimated that 7% of the U.S. adult population, or 13.2 million adults, knew someone in the prior 12 months who had died by suicide. They also estimated that for each suicide, 425 adults were exposed, or knew about the death.

Research indicates that the impact of knowing someone who died by suicide and/or having lived experience (i.e., personally have attempted suicide, have had suicidal thoughts, or have been impacted by suicidal loss) is much more extensive than injury and death. Similarly, survivors of a loved one’s suicide may experience ongoing pain and suffering including complicated grief, stigma, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide. Less discussed but no less important, are the financial and occupational effects on those left behind

In order to decrease suicide, care of, and attention to, vulnerable populations is necessary, as these groups tend to experience suicidal behavior at higher than average rates. Such vulnerable populations include, but are not limited to, individuals with lower socio-economic status or who are living with a mental health problem; people who have previously attempted suicide; Veterans and active duty military personnel; individuals who are institutionalized, have been victims of violence, or are homeless; individuals of sexual minority status; and members of certain racial and ethnic minority groups

Suicide Statistics

While there are numerous reasons for a veteran to resort to suicide, the combination of mental illness including PTSD and depression, drugs and/or alcohol, and an unsympathetic justice system, the veteran can easily take the path of least resistance.

There can be any number of reasons, or ‘stressors’ responsible for onset of disorders such as PTSD, depression, or anxiety which can lay dormant for many years to seemingly wait for an opportunity to surface. Often times, no or little notice is given when an attack might occur and can strike at the most unfortunate time such as a possible criminal occurrence.

Knowing the warning signs and having the conversation about thoughts and planning around a veteran suicide can help identify specific behaviors when a veteran may be heading down the 'rabbit hole' of suicide. A conversation to tear down the stigma can be as simple as asking, "How are you mentally?"