Leo Sher, M.D.

On December 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs released the “2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.” The Annual Report consists of two parts: “In-depth Reviews” (1) and “Report Findings” (2).

The Report suggests that in 2022, there were 6,407 suicides among Veterans and 41,484 among non-Veteran U.S. adults. Among all U.S. adults in 2022, there were, on average, 131.2 suicides per day, with 17.6 Veteran suicides per day. On average, seven suicides per day were among Veterans who received Veterans Health Administration care in 2021 or 2022, and 10.6 were among other Veterans.

From 2021 to 2022, age-adjusted suicide rates for female Veterans decreased 24.1%, while for female non-Veteran U.S. adults, rates increased 5.2%. For male Veterans, age-adjusted suicide rates increased 1.6%, while for male non-Veteran U.S. adults, rates increased 1.8%. Suicide rates for Veterans aged 18-34 decreased by 3.8%.

The Report suggests that suicide prevention among veterans should focus on promoting secure firearm storage, building and sustaining community collaborations, expanding crisis intervention services, tailoring prevention and intervention services, advancing suicide prevention into non-clinical supports, enhancing mental health care access across a full continuum of care, and integrating suicide prevention within medical settings.

References

1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Part 1: In-Depth Reviews. December 2024. URL: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2024/2024-Annual-Report-Part-1-of-2_508.pdf
2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Part 2: Report Findings. December 2024. https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2024/2024-Annual-Report-Part-2-of-2_508.pdf