Veteran suicide in New York State

Veteran suicide in New York State

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Series Title(s):
Issue brief (New York State Health Foundation)
Contributor(s):
New York State Health Foundation, issuing body.
Publication:
New York, NY : New York State Health Foundation, January 2020
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Suicide -- statistics & numerical data
Veterans -- statistics & numerical data
New York
United States
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. It affects all demographic groups, and our nation's veterans are particularly at risk. While making up 7.9% of the U.S. adult population, veterans accounted for 13.5% of all deaths by suicide among the adult population in 2017. The same year, a total of 6,139 veterans died by suicide across the country. At the national level, suicide is a worsening problem for both veterans and civilians. The suicide rate of the overall U.S. population increased from 14.7 per 100,000 people in 2005 to 18.1 in 2017, an increase of 23.1%. The veteran suicide rate increased by 29.7% over the same time period (from 23.9 per 100,000 to 31.0). The negative impacts of suicide extend beyond the lost years of life for the people who died. There is a large emotional toll on surviving family members and friends, who face an elevated risk of developing major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation and behavior. Work, neighborhood, and faith communities also feel the impact of a suicide; on average, a single suicide affects 135 people. Exacerbating the emotional consequences of a suicide, many families also face economic hardship after losing current and future income. These economic tolls also extend to the larger economy and medical system. There is no single cause for suicide; it is associated with an array of individual and environmental risk factors. Mental health disorders like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which disproportionately impact veterans, increase risk of suicide. Substance use disorders increase suicide risk as well. Many of the environmental risk factors for suicide--including economic instability, unemployment, unstable housing, and access to firearms--are more prevalent among veterans. While there is no universal prevention strategy, research shows that suicide is a preventable public health problem. In 2017, New York was home to approximately 700,000 veterans, the sixth largest population of veterans in the country. Although New York has one of the lowest rates of veteran suicide in the country, 136 veterans in the State died by suicide in 2017. This issue brief presents how New York's veteran suicide rate compares to the rest of the country, examines how veteran suicide rates are changing in New York over time, and explores how State policies might influence veteran suicide rates.
Copyright:
Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (12 pages))
Illustrations:
Illustrations
NLM Unique ID:
101770970 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101770970