Why are Veterans Increasingly Committing Suicide? The Number of Suicides among Veterans Especially Female are Increasing: Why is that the Case?

In America more than 40000 people a year commit suicide and approximately 19% of that is suicides committed by veterans or soldiers still on active duty. The main psychological disorder connected to veteran suicides is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a condition suffered by people in high risk professions or by people who were exposed to a traumatic experience. A key difference between female and male veterans is the addition of MST among female veterans. Not only do female veterans need to battle with the possibility of PTSD, the chances that they have developed an additional disorder are much greater just because of their sex. Women who were exposed to sexual harassment during their service are twice as likely to commit suicide as other female veterans.

Author(s): Anja Cuhalev

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