Veteran Suicide Data Report
The VA published this year’s suicide data for veterans. According to their raw numbers, there were 16.6 veterans a day who committed suicide. If we deduct veterans suffering in pain from some terminal illness who decided not to end their life in a puddle of their own piss…that number gets dramatically reduced.
Feel free to read the study yourself HERE.
The WSJ published an article about it.
“If any other population of 20 million people were exposed to these threats it would be considered a public health priority,” said Paul Rieckhoff, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which has many younger veterans as members. “There has never been a national call to action.”
Quoting Paul Rieckhoff on a veteran issue is like quoting Mikey Weinstein on veteran issues. They both have self-serving interests that promote the stereotypical image that veterans are victims of their service to this nation.
IAVA and Paul Rieckhoff continue to have problems with integrity.
Any veteran group that associates with a Valor Whore like Megan Morse, or whatever name she is going by these days, has no creditability with me whatsoever. Paulie leans so far left he wouldn’t understand an objective opinion if it were spoon fed to him. Just look at some of the IAVA events and see who is attending. Steven Colbert is the keynote speaker at one of Paulie’s upcoming events. Colbert defines what being Libtarded is all about and is not admired by the vast majority of veterans. Paulie is pimping him out anyway. But I digress… let me get back to those that canceled their birthday.
In 2016, 58.1 percent of Veteran suicides were among Veterans age 55 and older.
So about 7 veterans who are too young for AARP choose self-murder on a daily basis. What does the CDC have to say about suicide rates in the general population?
The principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned on Wednesday that suicide is on the rise in the U.S. among almost every age group.
“Suicide – in all ages except for young children and the elderly – is one of the few conditions that’s getting worse instead of better around the country,” Anne Schuchat told “Rising” Hill.TV co-hosts Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S.
Nearly 45,000 Americans have lost their lives to suicide in 2016, and suicide rates have spiked more than 30 percent in half of states across the country since 1999, according to the CDC.
Wait…What? Suicide in the general population has spiked 30 percent? The article on the CDC results is HERE. But, but, but, I thought to serve this country in the military resulted in…victim related stuff.
Look, I do not want to make light of those who are in legit pain and struggle with emotional dysfunctions. There are over 45,000 veteran-related charities in this country. All this do-gooder charitable work really sucks at preventing people, who are victims of protecting this nation, from wanting to self-murder. I have told people for years to stop giving money to these groups. Let veterans take care of veterans. When I hear someone pimping the “22 A Day” thing, all I see is a huckster or an idiot.
Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Mental Health
and Suicide Prevention. Veteran Suicide Data Report, 2005–2016. September 2018.
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/OMHSP_National_Suicide_Data_Report_
2005-2016_508-compliant.pdf
Category: Health Care debate, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Liberals suck, Veteran Health Care
“After adjusting for age, the suicide rate among Veterans who recently used VHA was higher than among Veterans who did not.”
Take what you will from that, but, to me, the lesson writes itself.
How are they tracking “veterans” for this? Is it people who’ve signed into the VA and/or use the VA as a healthcare option? Is it anyone who says, “oh yeah, I was a veteran!” Is it actually done with a suicide coded death and who is listed in the NPRC?
How many veterans are actually slipping through the cracks on this statistical count because they don’t use the VA, don’t loudly pronounce themselves veterans, don’t state they couldn’t get care they needed from the VA so they killed themselves?
“16.6 veterans a day who committed suicide”
Wow. that’s down from the the “22 A Day” thing.
Pick a number. Any number. Don’t tell me what it is. Now divide that number by the amount of dollars spent on suicide prevention. Add to that the number of phony SEALs on a September Monday morning. Subtract the rainfall for August and viola! You have the exact number of suicides in the military for next month’s data dump.
Now civilian rates….they are way different.
Diferent formula.
My understanding is that the number is much lower, like in the single digits. Not to say that it could not have spiked at one time, but the reality is that it is low.
So many people are making a buck off this. It is ridiculous. While I agree one is to many, how is the VA or the self-appointed microphones of the Veteran population going to solve the problem if they DO NOT UNDERSTAND the problem?
And to be perfectly frank, if you are a substandard turd, I could care less what you do or how you do it. Just stay away from me.
Oh, and IVAW and IAVA = Losers.
Best possible spin… vets have more understanding of what useless assholes most of us are, more acceptance that our time is temporary, and consequently fewer compunctions about relieving themselves of the burden. Too cynical?
To be honest, though, I would love to see some serious analysis of actual vets’ suicides. I remember Hondo citing a stat that most were over-50 noncombatants…true? How many with terminal illnesses? Divorced in recent years? Unemployed? And so on.
Great points.
But I do not think they will jive with the current narrative…..
David: your questions are dead-on. The DoD answers these questions for active duty suicides (all branches of the services including Reserves and NG). Because the number of suicides is so low, between 200-300 per year, they can thoroughly investigate each one. Typically they show about 45% of the suicides are relationship related, e.g. he/she/it spurned me so I’m going to off myself. Approximately 30-35% are drug related, e.g. “Man this is good sh*t. Oops.”
The VA might be able to collate such questions from the medical records that they maintain, but it would be a tricky effort. Per the VA’s data collection method, there is no way these questions can be answered from State mortality records for suicides who have not used the VA. Then there is the issue of family/friends who claim a suicide was a veteran but who wasn’t. There is no way to resolve this issue without cross-checking DoD records. This is not an insurmountable task, but the powers to be have no interest in putting this together as it quite likely will not serve the narrative.
Thanks, Dave. I analyzed the report a couple days ago. As usual the VA is doing the “fun with statistics” thingy. The bottom line: there really is no difference from the 2012 report where it was 16-17 suicides per day in the over 55 age groups. At least the 2012 report clearly spelled out the data collection problem: veteran suicide data is collected from State mortality records Veteran status is generally reported by family/friends of the deceased. This is a problem due to that prevalence of “stolen valor”. The 2016 report tap dances and muddies around this problem by saying that the study cross checked with VA records. Of course any veteran or non-veteran (claimed to be a veteran) who hasn’t used the VA can’t be cross-checked. The 2016 report claims that there is a low percentage of false veteran status reporting which is likely true if they are properly cross-checking their records. However, there is no way for them to claim any accuracy in the suicides who have never used the VA. They admit they do not cross-check with the DoD. Given the propensity in our society for stolen valor, in this case a claim of being a veteran, then the 20/day claim is highly questionable. On the face of the report, the numbers do make it appear there is a problem. 6078 veteran suicides divided by the 21,681,000 veteran population equals 0.00028 of veterans committed suicide in 2016. For all Americans (includes veterans)the number is 0.00014. Hence it appears that veterans commit suicide at twice the national average. In analyzing the reports, the big question is centered around the data collection methodology and whether there is a lot of false claims of veteran status of non-VA user suicides. As you noted there are big, big financial interests in veteran affairs vis-à-vis the VA and NGOs. They promote and distort these studies. The left and the media, I repeat myself, have the psychological interest of presenting all veterans and AD as being a bunch of whack jobs. The homeless veteran and PTSD issues also suffer from the self-reporting problem.… Read more »
“6078 veteran suicides divided by the 21,681,000 veteran population equals 0.00028 of veterans committed suicide in 2016. For all Americans (includes veterans)the number is 0.00014.”
Need to control for sex. Rough numbers, veterans are about 90% male, and suicides are ~75% male. My math says that pushes the expected rate among veterans to ~.000196, so 1.4x the national rate vs. 2.0x. (If the national rate is 0.00014, and the population is about 50/50 m/f, the rates would be (.00014*.75)/.5 = .00021 male rate, (.00014*.25)/.5 = .00007 female rate. Apply that to a veteran population that’s 90% male:(.9*.00021)+(.1*.00007) = .000196)
Do the same for age (google tells me ~55% of veterans are Vietnam Era or older, but only 20% of the general population is 60+, and suicide rates for 65+ is between 15% and 25% higher than younger men), you’ll close that gap still further.
I’m not saying there’s not a problem – I would expect the veterans’ rate to be lower than the general population – they’re more successful than their peers, better paid, lower unemployment, and for years I remember hearing their suicide rate was lower than the their peers – something is wrong – but as you say, you’ve gotta go below the surface on these numbers.
Excellent analysis, SSG E. I didn’t want to get too deep into statistical manipulation in my posts, but the math nerds here will likely support your analysis as much as I do.
“… – something is wrong…” = Yep. When analyzed for who is promoting this crap and their likely reasons, it all makes (non)sense.
Lies, damn lies, and statistics. Like Dave, I am sorry that some people feel the need to “self murder.” Also, like Dave, I feel that of all the “support organizations, groups”, whatever that are out there, everyone one of those self murderers has plenty of opportunity to get and or receive the help they need. If they are gonna do themselves in there is nothing you, them, I, family et al can do to stop them.
I’ve noted in the past that the Veteran suicide rate of 22 per day is only given as that, and that alone. There is never a break down in the different ages and the percentages of which age group is most likely to be vulnerable.
Over half of these suicides are among Vets over 55. NOT the young ones just coming home from the more recent battle fields.
It is my opinion that the ignoring of the statistical break down of the 22 a day figure is intentional, and is done as an anti-war on terrorism ploy more than anything else.
A sort of; “see? our young men and women are being driven to suicide by this continuing slaughter, and no end in sight war.”
The care the media pretends to have is not for the veterans, it is motivated by a desire to attack the war, and denigrate the methods needed to defeat the threat.