By Canadian Press

New data shows small increase in veterans’ historical risk of suicide

Jun 18, 2020 | 2:22 PM

OTTAWA — The federal government has released updated figures showing once again that Canadian veterans are at greater risk of suicide than those who have never served in uniform.

The new figures published today add two more years of data to an earlier landmark study first published in December 2017 that analyzed the records of more than 200,000 veterans to determine if they were more prone to suicide.

Veterans Affairs Canada says men who had served in the military between 1976 and 2014 were 39 per cent more likely to kill themselves than men in the general population — a small increase from previous reports.

The risk was significantly higher among younger male veterans, with those under 25 being 252 per cent more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans of the same age.

The risk among female veterans was also found to be alarmingly high — 88 per cent greater than for women who hadn’t served.

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The statistical study does not delve into why veterans are at greater risk of suicide, or the reasons for the slight increases among some segments of the community.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2020.

The Canadian Press