Despite a major push by the military and Department of Veterans Affairs to address and reduce suicide among former service members in 2022, the number of veteran suicides that year did not drop.
6,407 veterans killed themselves in 2022, three more than in 2021, according to a new report released by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The findings looked at information from 2022, the most recent year that data was available. Although an increase, it is a far smaller increase year over year compared to 2021, which saw 114 more suicides than in 2020, ending two years of declining numbers. In 2022, suicide was the second leading cause of death for veterans 45 years old and younger.
The small increase and continued suicides by veterans in 2022 came despite several steps that the VA and the military took prevent current and former servicemembers from taking their own lives. That included handing out gun locks at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities and Navy and Marine Corps services and support centers, to make it harder for suicidal service members and veterans to access a firearm. The VA spent $13.5 billion on programs aimed to support veterans’ mental health and wellbeing. That same year, the number of people who called the Veterans Crisis Line — a part of the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that directly addresses military life and experiences — reached nearly one million people.
At the same time, a number of contributing negative factors also rose in 2022. Stressors from the previous two years, including financial troubles and anxiety tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic fallout of it, continued. Over the course of the year, veteran homelessness increased by 7.4% according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s January 2023 point-in-time count (data for 2024 has not been released yet). The VA found that among those who recently sought care through the Veterans Health Administration, the suicide rate for homeless veterans was 110.2% higher than housed vets.
“Every veteran suicide is a tragedy,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. “There is nothing more important to VA than ending veteran suicide — and that means providing veterans with the care they need, wherever they need it, whenever they need it. We will learn from this report to better serve veterans and save lives.”
Despite the overall number of suicides holding essentially steady year over year, there were some big changes in 2022. One of the most significant was a large drop in the number of suicides by young women who have served in the military. 271 women veterans committed suicide in 2022, a 24% drop from 2021. That is a stark reversal to 2021, which saw 350 veteran women commit suicide, a 23.7% jump over 2020. Meanwhile 6,163 male veterans committed suicide, 83 more than the previous year.
The VA also found that the number of deaths by firearms — the leading cause of veteran suicides — rose by 7% over 2021. Suicide by firearm was 144.4% and 69.6% higher for female and male veterans respectively compared to the the rest of the population without military service.
The VA’s findings for 2022 come a month after the Department of Defense released its data on active-duty suicides for 2023. The Pentagon found that 523 service members killed themselves last year, up by 30 from 2022 (the figures include the National Guard and reserves). Despite efforts and funding to help troops, the department found that the number of active-duty suicides has increased year over year since 2011.
If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. Reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988 and you’ll be connected to trained counselors.