This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
First appearance on Fox: Veteran suicide is a well-known national crisis. But a deep dive into the numbers by Fox News Digital reveals a disturbing picture: male veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate, a rate that has received little attention in the national media.
American male veterans commit suicide at alarmingly disproportionate rates compared to civilians.
After losing military son to suicide, parents share path to healing and help others
The suicide rate among civilians is 4:1 for men versus women.
However, the suicide rate among veterans is 24 to 1 for men and women.
A soldier returns home after a mission overseas to embrace his child. (Stephen Morton/Getty Images)
These data points are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Family crises associated with military service are often triggered, leading to separation, divorce and bitter disputes over children, leading many to commit suicide.
“About 90 percent of veteran suicides occur immediately after a family incident.”
“About 90 percent of veteran suicides occur immediately after a family event,” said Jen Satterley, co-founder of the All Secure Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri. Education, Resources, and Retreats.
The co-founder’s husband, Tom Satterley, is a decorated military veteran whose experiences were captured in the film “Black Hawk Down.”
“When veterans end their lives, they don’t think about the war,” said Jen Satterley.
A depressed soldier talks to a therapist. One expert said ex-servicemen experiencing mental health problems too often “see suicide as a way to resolve their problems”. (St. Petersburg)
“They literally think, ‘I must be a monster, my family will be better off without me.'”
He added: “The military taught them how to solve problems and how to use guns. They see suicide as a way to solve problems.”
accelerated by many factors
Experts suggest that a variety of factors can hasten a veteran’s path to depression and suicide.
This includes long periods of time away from home, spouse, and children, which can be stressful even in the healthiest of circumstances.
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But for veterans, long and difficult separations often lead to relationship breakdowns, including the trauma of divorce and loss of regular contact with young children, such as through custody battles.
Family members of soldiers who died by suicide hold placards supporting their loved ones during a Veterans Day parade in New York City on November 11, 2021. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images)
Prolonged stress from combat is also a factor.
Men accounted for 95% of veteran suicides in 2021.
“Losing custody of a child is often a last resort.”
They accounted for 80% of civilian suicides.
“Losing custody of a child is often a last resort,” Dr. Kathy Nickerson, a California-based clinical psychologist and author specializing in relationships, told Fox News Digital .
”[Many people] “You can only go through so much pain before you decide you can’t take it anymore and look for a way out,” she said, also noting that “courts have historically favored mothers.” .
She added that the pain of loss is especially acute for veterans, whose relationships with loved ones and children are often severely damaged when deployed overseas.
U.S. Marines clear a house at the scene where insurgents killed one American and injured another in Fallujah, Iraq, Nov. 23, 2004. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
“The worst thing a parent can do is have their children taken away,” Jim, a military veteran from Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital (he asked that his last name be omitted to protect his privacy).
“It’s the only thing in the world that makes you happy. And when you can’t see them anymore, you lose hope.”
He has a young daughter, but he sees her less than 24 hours a month.
“Sleep disorder drove my son to suicide,” New York mother says, “heartbroken”
Jim said he had been feeling very depressed lately, and just recently had a 30-minute phone conversation with a suicide prevention specialist.
Anthony Cancel of New Jersey is the founder of Pro Se Dad, a nonprofit organization focused on fathers’ rights.
“They’re struggling to reintegrate into society, they’re having problems with housing and employment, and their entire family situation, which is the core of their lives, has exploded,” he told Fox News Digital of many veterans. I’ll put it away,” he said.
Tom Satterley is a highly decorated military veteran portrayed in the 2001 Oscar-winning film Black Hawk Down, which depicts the 1993 Somalia battle. He and his wife Jen Satterley founded the All His Secure Foundation to help veterans facing issues such as post-traumatic stress. (All Secure Foundation)
Depression and even suicidal thoughts are natural reactions for parents, male or female, veteran or non-veteran, who are unable to see their children, Cancel suggested.
Another veteran, Joseph (last name omitted) from Massachusetts, said he is devastated by not being able to see his children and feels financially and emotionally bankrupt.
“I have less than $200…I’m only a temporary person at best right now…Clearly my efforts and life are worth nothing.”
Yet another veteran Fox News Digital spoke to said he rarely sees his children due to marital conflicts and is considering suicide as a way to end his suffering.
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“I have less than $200…I’m a temporary person at best right now, and I don’t know where I’ll stay next. Obviously, my efforts and life are worth nothing. ” he said with heartbreaking candor.
Female veterans are hurting too.
Women veterans in the United States also face serious mental health issues and are even more likely to attempt suicide at a higher rate than the former military population, according to the Veterans Administration.
But state-by-state data reported by the Veterans Administration paints a picture of the plight of the men who served their country in uniform.
A trumpet player from the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band plays “Taps” at a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. (U.S. Army photo: Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)
In 21 states, the number of female veterans who committed suicide may have been zero (the Department of Veterans Affairs, citing privacy concerns, said that the number of female veterans who committed suicide may have been zero). ).
In Arizona, the disparity in veteran suicides in 2021 was as high as 240 men and 1 woman.
Veteran who lost a military ‘brother’ to post-war suicide calls for urgent change: ‘We can do better’
California is one of 14 states where the Department of Veterans Affairs releases total figures for male and female veterans, with 20 men dying for every woman in 2021.
“Our top clinical priority is to provide comprehensive support to save lives.”
In Pennsylvania and Texas, the ratio of male to female veteran suicides was 21.4 to 1.
In response to a request for comment, Terrence Hayes, a spokesperson for the Veterans Administration, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital: “When a veteran commits suicide, it’s too many times. “We will do whatever it takes to prevent this and save the lives of our veterans.”
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“Our top clinical priority is to save lives and provide comprehensive support designed to ensure Veterans receive the world-class care they need, wherever and whenever they need it.”
“We are being told to seek treatment. [But] You can’t imagine it being used to distance you from your children. ”
Military members who suffer from PTSD are often encouraged to seek help from the military or society at large.
Some veterans say their mental health background, including appointments and therapy, can be used against them if treatment is followed by a fight to see their children amid marital separation. (St. Petersburg)
But when treatment is followed by a battle to see their children amid separation or divorce, some veterans may find that their mental health history, including appointments and therapy, can be used against them. Some people claim that.
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Jim, a veteran from Massachusetts, said he was treated for PTS after serving in Iraq and said, “I’ve been told to get treatment.”
But “you can’t imagine it being used to distance you from your children,” he says.
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