Help for Military and Veterans

You’ve served us; let us serve you, as you are our heroes. You’ve been places we’ve not been… experienced situations outside of your control. The army suicide rate is now higher than that among the general American population. The rate has been calculated as 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers, compared with 19.5 per 100,000 civilians. About 18 veterans complete suicide daily. Attempted suicides at a rate of 13,000 per year shows clearly that there is an epidemic of suicide among veterans.

2012 Suicide Data Report / VHA Response and Data Summary

May 2007 report shows suicide estimates of 1000/yr who have received care within VHA and 5000/yr among all living veterans.
More male Veterans complete suicide than female Veterans.
More than 69% of Veteran suicides are among those age 50 yrs or older.
Male Veterans who die by suicide are older than non-Veteran males who die by suicide.
97% of completions of males identifies as Veterans compared to 74% non-Veteran suicide decendents.
A majority of non-fatal events were the result of overdose or other intentional poisoning.
The majority of callers to the Veterans Crisis Line are male and between the ages of 50-59.
Approximately 19% of callers to the Veterans Crisis Line call more than 1x/month.
Approximately 93% of all Veterans Crisis Line referrals are made to callers with a history of VHA service use in the past 12 months.
Between FY 2009-FY 2001, use of inpatient and outpatient services increased following a rescue.
The 12 month re-event prevalence has decreased among those who have been rescued or received a referral for follow-up care.
Department of Veterans Affairs 2013 estimates suicide completions among Veterans as 22/day (2010); every 65 minutes

Resources for Military and Veterans

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides immediate assistance to individuals in suicidal crisis by connecting them to the nearest available suicide prevention and mental health service provider through a toll-free telephone number: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK); press 1 to be routed to the Veterans Hotline. There is also a link on the webpage for Veterans to chat live with a counselor.

Crisis Text Line

Crisis Text Line is a free 24/7 support at your fingertips where every texter is connected with a real-life, trained Crisis Counselor that is a volunteer, donating their time to helping people in crisis. Text 741741

Now Matters Now

Veterans Crisis Line

Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves.

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon empowers leadership, service members and families by providing relevant training, services and resources throughout the deployment cycle pioneered by the Minnesota National Guard. Its name is a reminder that supporting military service members cannot end when they return home from deployment and the yellow ribbons are untied, but continues throughout the process or reintegration.

Veterans Military One Source

Veterans Military One Source is a 24/7/365 web-based (or toll free number 1-800-342-9647) resource for military members, spouses, guard/reserves and service providers. Consultation is available immediately on-line or by phone, or you may schedule a face-to-face counseling session. There is online information, tools and a community in which to answer questions and address your concerns.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Suicide Prevention Resource Center provides prevention support, training and materials to strengthen suicide prevention efforts. Among the resources found on its website is the SPRC Library Catalog, a searchable database containing a wealth of information on suicide and suicide prevention, including publications, peer-reviewed research studies, curricula, and web-based resources.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is a web-based resource of information for veterans.