Veteran Suicide Numbers Still High in Tennessee and Beyond

Sep 14, 2016 at 08:45 am by bryan


Veteran suicide continues to be a major problem in Tennessee and throughout the country.

At one point, it was reported that 22 Veterans die each day by way of suicide. Research now shows that the number is at 20 per day. However, it still looks to be on the increase.

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Since 2001, Veteran suicide numbers have increased by 32 percent while civilian suicide rates have grown at a 23 percent rate during the same time period.

It is interesting to note that the rate of suicide among male Veterans who use VA services at locations like the York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro increased by 11 percent, while the rate of suicide increased at 35 percent among male Veterans who do not use VA services. In the same time period, the rate of suicide among female Veterans who use VA services increased by 4.6 percent while the rate of suicide increased 98 percent among female Veterans who do not use VA services.

In year 2010, 22 percent of the total U.S. suicides were that of a Veteran taking his or her own life. The number today is at 18 percent.

Looking back to year 2014, 65 percent of all Veteran suicide deaths were of those who were 50 years of age or older.

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