Female military service members and veterans: Understanding treatment seeking behavior and previous suicide risk among suicide decedents

Abstract

To examine the differences in treatment seeking behaviors, previous suicidal thoughts, previous suicide attempts, and disclosure of suicidal thoughts among female service members (SM)/Veteran suicide decedents who used a firearm and those who used another method. Data was acquired from the National Violent Death Reporting System which is maintained and monitored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Data included in the present study were from suicide deaths that occurred between 2003–2018. Female SM/Veterans who died by firearm suicide had lower proportions of current mental health or substance use treatment, lifetime mental health or substance use treatment, and previous suicide attempts compared to those who used another method. Female SM/Veterans who die by firearm suicide are less likely to encounter mental health services than those who use another method. Conversations on secure firearm storage need to occur outside of the health care setting.

Ethical approval

The present study utilized data from the Nation Violent Death reporting System (NVDRS). NVDRS data is exempt from oversight by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and therefore no IRB was required.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.