Concern Grows Over ‘Epidemic' Veteran Suicide Rate

WASHINGTON – With veterans now accounting for one of every five suicides in the nation, the Department of Veterans Affairs is under pressure from both the courts and Congress to fix its mental-health services in an attempt to curb the death toll.

“The suicide rate is out of control – it’s epidemic proportions right now,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “There are very few programs that are effective, and there’s a serious lack of national awareness.”

While the government keeps no official tally of veteran suicides, the VA last year said that veterans account for roughly 20 percent of the estimated 30,000 suicides annually in the United States.