Operation Deep Dive Finds Higher Suicide Rates Among Veterans
Operation Deep Dive, an ongoing research project sponsored by America’s Warriors Project (AWP), finds the true rate of self-inflicted deaths of service members is twice as high as the oft-quoted statistic of “22 deaths a day” that many Veterans’ groups report.
Operation Deep Dive estimates that as many as 46 Veterans die each day from suicide and other self-inflicted means, including drug overdoses, death through officer-involved shootings, high-speed single-driver fatal traffic accidents, accidental gunshots, and drownings.
Deep Dive’s arithmetic – based on in-depth studies of death records in seven states and extrapolated nationally – shows:
Approximately 24 former service members die per day by suicide, according to medical examiner or coroner findings, as compared to the Veteran Association’s 2012-2018 average of 17.7 suicides per day.
Approximately 20 Veterans die per day through fatalities that otherwise are listed as accidents or undetermined, including 80% that are coded as overdose deaths.
Non-fatal self-harm incidents such as these are an important indicator of potential suicidality, according to several studies. A 2014 follow up study of hospital admissions for victims of self-harm injuries concluded: “One in 25 patients presenting to hospital for self-harm will kill themselves in the next 5 years.” Another study found that Iraq/Afghanistan war Veterans with PTSD with histories of self-harm were significantly likely to also have suicidal thoughts.
So far, Operation Deep Dive has identified several characteristics of Veterans with the highest probability of taking their lives:
- The longer someone has served in the military, the lower their probability of taking their own life;
- Those who served in the military for less than three years, or were demoted during military service, were at higher risk for suicide or self-injury mortality.
- Rates of self-inflicted deaths for Veterans varied widely among different communities, based on different demographics. More research is needed to determine which of the differences are consequential.
- Living with a partner decreased the odds of suicide or death by self-harm injury by nearly 40%.
Operation Deep Dive is doing more than pouring over statistics. It is conducting interviews with relatives, friends, loved ones and co-workers of former service members who died by suicide or self-injury causes. AWP intends to conduct more interviews.
At its website at https://www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive, AWP says these in-depth, structured interviews will generate “valuable insights [that] will contribute greatly to the formation of a proactive approach to preserving the lives of service members and Veterans.”
The AWP, in its 2023 annual report notes that the findings of both the statistical analysis and the interviews will be used to “develop targeted recommendations for national, state and local strategies” to prevent suicides, overdoses and other non-natural causes of death, particularly for people who have served in the military.
For more information on the America’s Warrior Project and its Operation Deep Dive, visit https://www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/deep-dive.