Veterans increasingly committing suicide

POLITICO:  …From 1999 to 2008, 18 to 20 veterans a day committed suicide. In 2009 and 2010, that number crept up to 22…

From 1999 to 2010, the average age of male veterans who died from suicide was between 54 and 60, the report says, suggesting the higher suicide rate among veterans is not necessarily being driven by young veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…

But the overwhelming majority of suicides in the general population is among males, and 44 percent of male suicides are committed by those 50 and older. So it’s possible these general trends contribute to the higher rates among older veterans, according to the report. Still, the suicide rate among young veterans is much higher than their nonveteran peers, studies have shown…  (more)

EDITOR:   It would appear that other factors are at play for all males, especially the Great Recession.  How many of these suicides were by people who were either unemployed or under- employed?  The article is an example of the essential content being buried towards the end.  We give them credit for at least providing the answer to the question that immediately comes to mind.

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