By the Numbers: 2 October 2023
56%
The percentage by which the suicide rate among veterans with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) exceeded that of veterans without a TBI from 2006 to 2020, according to a Reseearch Letter in JAMA Neurology -- Trends in Suicide Rates Among Post-9/11 US Military Veterans With and Without Traumatic Brain Injury From 2006-2020.
In a large cohort of US military veterans serving after 9/11, suicide rates increased more than 10-fold from 2006-2020, a significantly greater rate of change than in the US adult population. Potential explanations for increases in suicide include increased risk of mental health diagnoses, substance misuse, and gun violence. Over the 15-year period, veterans with TBI had suicide rates 56% higher than veterans without TBI and 3 times higher than the US adult population.
56%
The percentage by which the suicide rate among veterans with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) exceeded that of veterans without a TBI from 2006 to 2020, according to a Reseearch Letter in JAMA Neurology -- Trends in Suicide Rates Among Post-9/11 US Military Veterans With and Without Traumatic Brain Injury From 2006-2020.
In a large cohort of US military veterans serving after 9/11, suicide rates increased more than 10-fold from 2006-2020, a significantly greater rate of change than in the US adult population. Potential explanations for increases in suicide include increased risk of mental health diagnoses, substance misuse, and gun violence. Over the 15-year period, veterans with TBI had suicide rates 56% higher than veterans without TBI and 3 times higher than the US adult population.