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Study doubles veterans' suicide numbers released by government

More than 80% of the deaths of former service members are from drug or medication overdoses.

Veterano frente a la bandera EEUU

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Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

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A study from America's Warrior Partnership (AWP), a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent veteran suicide, revealed that the number of former service members who die by suicide and self-injury is 2.4 times greater than the number from the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) reports.

Data released by the federal government indicates that in 2020, the average number of suicides per day of former service members was 16.8. However, the report reveals that the actual number of veteran deaths by suicide or self-harm is approximately 44.

The figures also indicate a suicide rate 37% higher than that reported by the VA for the years 2014-2018.

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"Accidental or undetermined" deaths

Research estimates reveal that 24 veterans die a day from suicide and 20 die from self-harm. More than 80% of these deaths are caused by drug or medication overdoses.

The disparity in the figures from the two studies is a relevant point highlighted by the AWP. The organization argues that the Department of Veterans Affairs lists deaths from self-injury as "accidental or undetermined," so there is no precise number of deaths.

Cheree Tham, AWP's head of Programs and Initiatives, said the group hopes to pressure state and federal officials to cooperate in recording self-harm death data in an effort to prevent future veteran suicides.

By merging identified state death records with military service data and incorporating other individualized sources, such as VA health care and benefit numbers, we can develop better tools and methods to prevent these incidents of self-harm that shatter lives, families, and communities.

More years of service, fewer suicides

The report also found that veterans who served longer were less likely to die by suicide, and those who served less than three years or were demoted during their service had a higher risk of suicide. The risk of suicide and self-harm also decreased by 40% when a veteran lived with a partner.

The research also found that Coast Guard veterans had the highest suicide rates, followed by former Navy, Army, Marines and Air Force members.

The study was conducted in partnership with Duke University and the University of Alabama and examined five years of data on former military and civilian deaths in eight states across the country.

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