 I’m ashamed to admit it took my son dying by suicide to want to know more about suicide statistics. I only knew one statistic... 22. 22 veterans die each day by suicide (but do they really? – read on...). Then my son was a veteran suicide statistic. Now I’m hungry to know all about suicide. Because I have declared war on suicide. There still will be casualties, but that number is going down! The vile darkness of suicide will be pushed back and away.
The Art of War, an ancient work on universal military tactics (which are still used to this day), insists you must know your enemy (and yourself) if you’re to win your battle. First thing’s first, I do not know my enemy yet. I don’t. I don’t know how it, that is suicide, works, how it infiltrates and infects minds. Which minds are more vulnerable and how we can take it out at the knees. What I believe is suicide has always been a thing. It’s in the Bible. King Saul fell on his sword instead of dying by an enemy hand. Judas killed himself after his betrayal of Christ. I believe it’s always been here, but that it is growing in ferocity and number. I believe it is not only a physical battle but waged at a spiritual level as well. I believe we, as in all of us, can affect change in the number of suicides that happen every day. I don’t know much yet, but I’ve learned some things… What I have learned since Jake’s June 30th death-by-suicide is that the 22 a day statistic is irrefutably, verifiably skewed. Though he is one of many, and even one is too many, the daily average for veteran suicide is lower than 22. What is the veteran suicide rate then if not the infamous 22? I’m still trying to flesh that one out. The VA has a lot of “age and sex adjusted” rates. I’m not sure what that means (is it code for “let’s try not to make it look as bad as it actually is” or “let’s adjust it to make it even for all ages and sexes”?). What they did say clearly in a 2022 report/analysis on veteran suicide, or as clearly as any government report can, is suicide is the second leading cause of death for veterans (male and female) aged 18-34 (and males through age 44)… so if you have a young veteran WATCH THEM! Generally speaking, I’ve learned suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people up to the age of 24. A suicide happens every 11 minutes. There are warning signs. There are approximately 25 attempts before a successful suicide. (These previous facts were gleaned from a Suicide 101 training this month). I’ve learned that about 60% of suicide attempts are successful the first time, the majority of those were with guns, it is one of the ten most common ways to die BUT psychiatric intervention significantly reduces the risk of successful suicide. I’ve learned about 14% of the population has considered suicide, and according to a QPR training I took years ago… the #1 predictor of a suicide is a previous attempt in the last 12 months. I also learned that the “R” means REFER, as in refer someone suicidal to professionals for help. And I tell you all our referral system is BROKEN! That’s what I know for now. If you want to be in the conversation, have a fact to share or are otherwise affected or drawn to the suicide prevention battle, message me: [email protected]
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