By the Numbers: 30 August 2021
Roughly 2/3rds
Of the total number of veterans with suicidal ideation, the percentage of those who are not engaged in mental health treatment, according to an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry -- Prevalence, Correlates, and Treatment of Suicidal Behavior in US Military Veterans: Results From the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study
Suicidal behaviors were most prevalent among veterans aged 18–44 years, with 18.2%, 19.3%, and 11.1%, respectively, endorsing suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts. Major depressive disorder (MDD), age, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) emerged as the strongest correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide plans, while MDD, age, alcohol use disorder, and ACEs were the strongest correlates of suicide attempts. Only 35.5% of veterans with current suicidal ideation were engaged in mental health treatment, with veterans who used the US Veterans Administration (VA) as their primary source of health care more than twice as likely as VA non-users to be engaged in such treatment (54.7% vs 23.8%).
Roughly 2/3rds
Of the total number of veterans with suicidal ideation, the percentage of those who are not engaged in mental health treatment, according to an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry -- Prevalence, Correlates, and Treatment of Suicidal Behavior in US Military Veterans: Results From the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study
Suicidal behaviors were most prevalent among veterans aged 18–44 years, with 18.2%, 19.3%, and 11.1%, respectively, endorsing suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts. Major depressive disorder (MDD), age, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) emerged as the strongest correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide plans, while MDD, age, alcohol use disorder, and ACEs were the strongest correlates of suicide attempts. Only 35.5% of veterans with current suicidal ideation were engaged in mental health treatment, with veterans who used the US Veterans Administration (VA) as their primary source of health care more than twice as likely as VA non-users to be engaged in such treatment (54.7% vs 23.8%).