An assessment of suicide in an urban VA Medical Center

Veteran-specific suicide prevention

Suicide rates have been increasing in some subgroups of Veteran populations, such as those who have experienced combat. Several initiatives are addressing this critical need and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been recognized for its leadership. This integrative review adopts the Research Impact Framework (RIM) to address suicide-specific prevention activities targeting Veterans. The RIM is a standardized approach for developing issue narratives using four broad areas: societal-related impacts, research-related impacts, policy-related impacts, and service-related impacts. The questions addressed in this review are: (1) What are the major initiatives in Veteran-specific suicide prevention in four areas of impact-society, research, policy, and services? (2) Are there gaps related in each impact area? and (3) What are the implications of this narrative for other strategies to address suicide prevention targeting Veterans? Systematic application of the RIM identifies exemplars, milestones, gaps, and health disparity issues.

The Colorado Violent Death Reporting System (COVDRS): validity and utility of the Veteran status variable

OBJECTIVE

Using the Veterans Affairs Beneficiary Identification Record Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) as the criterion database, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the death certificate information in the Colorado Violent Death Reporting System (COVDRS) to determine Veteran status for those who died by suicide.

METHODS

The study sample consisted of 3,820 individuals aged 18 years and older who died by suicide in Colorado from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2008. To determine agreement on Veteran status, COVDRS data were submitted to the Veterans Benefits Administration for linkage to the BIRLS using Social Security numbers.

RESULTS

Sensitivity and specificity of the Veteran status information on the death certificate were 93.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 90.7, 95.2) and 91.7% (95% CI 90.5, 92.8), respectively. The overall agreement between the death certificate and the BIRLS on Veteran status was very good (kappa = 0.76; 95% CI 0.74, 0.79).

CONCLUSIONS

This study of 3,820 suicide deaths in Colorado demonstrated a high level of agreement between the COVDRS Veteran status variable and the BIRLS. Such findings offer support for using the COVDRS in studying factors associated with suicide in the Veteran population.

Suicide among veterans in 16 states, 2005 to 2008: comparisons between utilizers and nonutilizers of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services based on data from the National Death Index, the National Violent Death Reporting System, and VHA administrative records

OBJECTIVES

We sought to compare suicide rates among veterans utilizing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services versus those who did not.

METHODS

Suicide rates from 2005 to 2008 were estimated for veterans in the 16 states that fully participated in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), using data from the National Death Index, NVDRS, and VHA records.

RESULTS

Between 2005 and 2008, veteran suicide rates differed by age and VHA utilization status. Among men aged 30 years and older, suicide rates were consistently higher among VHA utilizers. However, among men younger than 30 years, rates declined significantly among VHA utilizers while increasing among nonutilizers. Over these years, an increasing proportion of male veterans younger than 30 years received VHA services, and these individuals had a rising prevalence of diagnosed mental health conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

The higher rates of suicide for utilizers of VHA among veteran men aged 30 and older were consistent with previous reports about which veterans utilize VHA services. The increasing rates of mental health conditions in utilizers younger than 30 years suggested that the decreasing relative rates in this group were related to the care provided, rather than to selective enrollment of those at lower risk for suicide.

Military veteran mortality following a survived suicide attempt

Background

Suicide is a global public health problem. Recently in the U.S., much attention has been given to preventing suicide and other premature mortality in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. A strong predictor of suicide is a past suicide attempt, and suicide attempters have multiple physical and mental comorbidities that put them at risk for additional causes of death. We examined mortality among U.S. military veterans after hospitalization for attempted suicide.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted with all military veterans receiving inpatient treatment during 1993-1998 at United States Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities following a suicide attempt. Deaths occurring during 1993-2002, the most recent available year at the time, were identified through VA Beneficiary and Records Locator System data and National Death Index data. Mortality data for the general U.S. adult population were also obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics. Comparisons within the veteran cohort, between genders, and against the U.S. population were conducted with descriptive statistics and standardized mortality ratios. The actuarial method was used estimate the proportion of veterans in the cohort we expect would have survived through 2002 had they experienced the same rate of death that occurred over the study period in the U.S. population having the age and sex characteristics.

Results

During 1993-1998, 10,163 veterans were treated and discharged at a VA medical center after a suicide attempt (mean age = 44 years; 91% male). There was a high prevalence of diagnosed alcohol disorder or abuse (31.8%), drug dependence or abuse (21.8%), psychoses (21.2%), depression (18.5%), and hypertension (14.2%). A total of 1,836 (18.1%) veterans died during follow up (2,941.4/100,000 person years). The cumulative survival probability after 10 years was 78.0% (95% CI = 72.9, 83.1). Hence the 10-year cumulative mortality risk was 22.0%, which was 3.0 times greater than expected. The leading causes overall were heart disease (20.2%), suicide (13.1%), and unintentional injury (12.7%). Whereas suicide was the ninth leading cause of death in the U.S. population overall (1.8%) during the study period, suicide was the leading and second leading cause among women (25.0%) and men (12.7%) in the cohort, respectively.

Conclusions

Veterans who have attempted suicide face elevated risks of all-cause mortality with suicide being prominent. This represents an important population for prevention activities.

Factors associated with suicidal ideation in OEF/OIF veterans

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this project was to examine factors associated with suicidal ideation in returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

METHODS

A cross-sectional review of 1740 veterans' initial mental health screening evaluations. One-hundred and thirteen (6.5%) OEF/OIF veterans reported active suicidal ideation at the time of the interview.

RESULTS

Prior exposures of physical or sexual abuse and having a history of a prior suicide attempt(s) were associated with the presence of current suicidal ideation, as were having a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder, a depressive disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Deployment concerns related to training (protective), the deployment environment, family concerns, deployment concerns, post-deployment support (protective), and post-deployment stressors were also associated with current suicidal ideation. Logistic regression analysis revealed the major risk factors were having a prior suicide attempt, female gender, and a depressive disorder diagnosis; while more perceived current social support was a protective factor. Logistic regression analysis also revealed having comorbid PTSD and depression carried a higher odds ratio for risk than did having either PTSD or depression alone; and that the PTSD avoidance symptom-cluster was associated with more risk than either the re-experiencing or hyper-arousal symptom clusters for current suicidal ideation.

LIMITATIONS

As a cross-sectional retrospective medical chart review, limitations include limited generalizability and causal relationships cannot be evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS

Further investigation of these risk factors is warranted to aid in suicide risk assessment and in the development of targeted interventions to mitigate the identified risk factors and bolster the identified protective factor.

Suicide among US veterans: A prospective study of 500,000 middle-aged and elderly men

Expert opinion is divided about whether US military veterans, the vast majority of whom are middle-aged or older, are at increased risk of suicide. To assess the risk of suicide associated with veteran status, the authors conducted a prospective cohort study of 499,356 male participants in the Cancer Prevention Study II. Participants reported their veteran status and other characteristics in 1982 and were followed for mortality through 2004. The relative risk of mortality from suicide according to veteran status at baseline was estimated by using Cox proportional hazards models. During follow-up, 1,248 veterans and 614 nonveterans died by suicide. In age-adjusted analyses, the risk of suicide did not differ by veteran status. Additional adjustment for several sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors had little effect on hazard ratios. The authors concluded that the risk of death from suicide among middle-aged and older US males is independent of veteran status and suggest that policies to prevent veteran suicide should focus on factors that may heighten suicide risk rather than on veteran status per se.

Suicide among male veterans: a prospective population-based study

OBJECTIVES

To assess the risk of mortality from suicide among male veteran participants in a large population-based health survey.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A prospective follow-up study in the US. Data were obtained from the US National Health Interview Surveys 1986-94 and linked to the Multiple Cause of Death file (1986-97) through the National Death Index.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample comprised 320 890 men, aged >/=18 years at baseline. The participants were followed up with respect to mortality for 12 years.

RESULTS

Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that veterans who were white, those with >/=12 years of education and those with activity limitations (after adjusting for medical and psychiatric morbidity) were at a greater risk for completing suicide. Veterans were twice as likely (adjusted hazard ratio 2.13, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.99) [corrected] to die of suicide compared with non-veterans in the general population. The risk of death from "natural" causes (diseases) and the risk of death from "external" causes did not differ between the veterans and the non-veterans. Interestingly, male veterans who were overweight had a significantly lower risk of completing suicide than those who were of normal weight.

CONCLUSIONS

Veterans in the general US population, whether or not they are affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), are at an increased risk of suicide. With a projected rise in the incidence of functional impairment and psychiatric morbidity among veterans of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, clinical and community interventions that are directed towards patients in both VA and non-VA healthcare facilities are needed.

Suicide mortality among individuals receiving treatment for depression in the Veterans Affairs health system: associations with patient and treatment setting characteristics

OBJECTIVES

We sought to report clinical and demographic factors associated with suicide among depressed veterans in an attempt to determine what characteristics identified depressed veterans at high risk for suicide.

METHODS

We used longitudinal, nationally representative data (1999-2004) to determine suicide rates among depressed veterans, estimating time until suicide using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

Of 807694 veterans meeting study criteria, 1683 (0.21%) committed suicide during follow-up. Increased suicide risks were observed among male, younger, and non-Hispanic White patients. Veterans without service-connected disabilities, with inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations in the year prior to their qualifying depression diagnosis, with comorbid substance use, and living in the southern or western United States were also at higher risk. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with comorbid depression was associated with lower suicide rates, and younger depressed veterans with PTSD had a higher suicide rate than did older depressed veterans with PTSD.

CONCLUSIONS

Unlike the general population, older and younger veterans are more prone to suicide than are middle-aged veterans. Future research should examine the relationship between depression, PTSD, health service use, and suicide risks among veterans.

Suicidal Ideation in Veterans Receiving Treatment for Opiate Dependence

Persons with opiate use disorders, especially veterans, have a number of both chronic and acute indicators of risk for suicide, but are not typically screened for suicidal ideation on a routine basis, beyond initial evaluations. One hundred one veterans receiving treatment for opiate dependence at an urban VA medical center were screened for suicidal ideation. Over 24% reported some suicidal ideation. Current ideation was associated with severe chronic pain, ongoing problems with street drugs, firearm ownership, and with having recently enrolled in treatment. It was also associated with a variety of recent negative life events and mental health issues, especially depression, recurring troubling thoughts, hallucinations, loss of jobs, and conflicts with family members. Two veterans endorsing suicidal ideation required immediate hospitalization. The implications of these findings are discussed, and frequent screening for suicidal ideation among patients receiving treatment for opiate dependence is recommended.