Oral

Suicide remains a serious and expanding public health issue. Recent studies have shown that veterans are twice as likely as non-veterans to complete suicide and more active-duty soldiers are now taking their own lives than are being killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The latest Army report reveals that in one month, January, 2009, the number of suicides by deployed soldiers was 24, six times as many as killed themselves in January 2008, the year in which the suicide rate surpassed all previous years. There were 128 confirmed suicides plus another 15 suspected suicides in 2008. Suicide among active duty soldiers in 2008 exceeded that of the general US population, and veterans' rights groups are talking about an epidemic of suicide among veterans. On the other hand, some studies have revealed the lack of scientific evaluation in assessing suicide risk among veterans. Under-reporting of suicide, the limitations in relying on data obtained from Veterans' Affairs clinical samples and limited research examining completed suicide were cited among the limitations. Given the current situation, we have an opportunity to explore best practices, review outcomes, and identify potential areas for improvement. This effort could examine federal and agency tracking of the number of veterans' suicides nationally and consider addressing the limited amount of research examining completed suicide attempts. However, it should be explored while recognizing that obtaining reliable data on veterans' suicide rates and associated risk factors is difficult and poses diverse challenges to ongoing suicide prevention work. This panel will discuss methodological challenges facing researchers on veterans' suicide issues as well as obstacles hindering health care professionals from providing comprehensive interventions to target this at-risk population. It will address strategies to form enlightened and strategic policy priorities moving forward. The panel will base its presentation on literature review and will provide the attendees with an overview of recent studies on veterans and suicide as well as current programs and initiatives on the issue. The panel will discuss policy implications and conclude with actionable recommendations.

Session Objectives: - Describe mortality rates of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans in comparison to the non-veteran population. - List the disparities between different demographic groups within the veterans’ population. - Identify suicide risk factors among the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ population and discuss public health implications. - Identify gaps in the Veterans’ Health Care system in relation to suicide prevention and discuss potential solutions: - Recognize the personal (cultural, financial, perceptions, social) and structural barriers that interfere with healthcare- seeking behavior among veterans. - Formulate the need for immediate and comprehensive health care interventions to pursue recovery goals for post- deployment veterans. - Define the structural challenges that limit the efficiency of the Veterans Affairs' health system in providing treatment for Iraq and Afghanistan post-deployment veterans. (One of them consists of integrating medical care into mental health specialty settings.) - Articulate the need for more in-depth and longitudinal research to follow up with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans’ health care outcomes following discharge and to generate more data to better address suicide prevention efforts among veterans.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)