Disclaimer: The article discusses suicide awareness and death. This may be a sensitive subject for some readers.
During the “Suicide Awareness and Prevention Webinar” held by the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands on Wednesday, the focus was directed toward the rate of suicides among veterans. Caribel A. Leyva Romero, community engagement and partnership coordinator for the Suicide Prevention Program at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, led the webinar.
The webinar primarily addressed veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and older veterans living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Romero stated that suicide is the 13th leading cause of death for veterans overall and the second leading cause of death among veterans under the age of 45 in 2021. Romero also mentioned that there has been some improvement between 2020 and 2021, as suicide rates have decreased by 8.1 percent for male veterans aged 75 years old and older, a 2.2 percent decline in veterans overall between the ages of 55 and 74, and a 1.9 percent decrease in suicide among recent male Veterans Health Administration users aged 18 to 34.
Romero said that suicide is often the result of a complex interaction of risk and protective factors at the individual, community, and societal levels. She continued that to “prevent veteran suicide, we must maximize protective factors, minimizing risk factors at all levels, throughout communities nationwide.”
According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 6 out of every 100 people in the United States experience post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives. Approximately 12 million adults in the United States have PTSD in a given year.
Romero mentioned that veterans with a history of suicide attempts, mental health issues, substance abuse, access to lethal means, recent loss, legal or financial challenges, relationship issues, unemployment, and homelessness are at higher risk. To reduce these risks, veterans can access mental health care, build connections, develop problem-solving skills, find spirituality, engage in a mission or purpose, maintain physical health, seek employment, and foster social-emotional well-being.
Clinicians may be able to help prevent suicide in older veterans by providing collaborative safety planning, considering the role of health-related concerns and functional limitations on suicide risk, using integrated approaches to care that address both physical and mental health concerns, and making use of interventions that promote social connectedness.
To receive additional services or information from the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands, contact 340-772-1200. The center has offices on St. Thomas in the Havensight Mall and on St. Croix in the Sunshine Mall.
If you are a veteran and are having suicidal thoughts and would like to get in contact with a Veterans Crisis Line, veterans and service members can dial 988 and then press 1 to connect.
