Suicide among war veterans

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Volumn 9, Issue 7, 2012, Pages 2504-2519

  Rozanov, Vsevolod ^a   Carli, Vladimir ^b  

^a ODESSA NATIONAL UNIVERSITY   (Ukraine)

^b KAROLINSKA INSTITUTE   (Sweden)

Author keywords

Mental health problems; Prevention; Suicide; War and military services veterans

Indexed keywords

ANXIOLYTIC AGENT;

ARMED FORCES; MENTAL HEALTH; METHODOLOGY; PSYCHOLOGY; RISK FACTOR; SUICIDE; WAR;

AGE; AGGRESSIVENESS; ANXIETY DISORDER; ARMY; AUSTRALIA; BATTLE INJURY; CONTROLLED STUDY; DEPRESSION; DISEASE ASSOCIATION; DISEASE SEVERITY; EARLY LIFE STRESS; FEMALE; FIREARM; GENETIC PREDISPOSITION; HANGING; HUMAN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; MORTALITY; PAIN; PANIC; PENSIONER; POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER; PREVENTIVE MEDICINE; PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL; REVIEW; RISK FACTOR; SEX DIFFERENCE; STRESS VULNERABILITY MODEL; SUICIDAL IDEATION; SUICIDE; SUICIDE ATTEMPT; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW; TRAINING; TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY; UNITED STATES; VETERAN; WAR;

EID: 84870348729     PISSN: 16617827     EISSN: 16604601     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph9072504     Document Type: Review

References (78)

1. Mahon, M.J.; Tobin, J.P.; Cusack, D.A.; Kelleher, C.; Malone, K.M. Suicide among regular-duty military personnel: A retrospective case-control study of occupation-specific risk factors for workplace suicide. Am. J. Psychiatry 2005, 162, 1688-1696.
2. Zamorski, M.A. Suicide prevention in military organizations. Int. Rev. Psychiatry 2011, 23, 172-180.
3. Rozanov, V.A.; Mehlum, L.; Stiliha, R. Suicide in Military Settings. Combatants and Veterans. In Oxford Textbook of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention; Wasserman, D., Wasserman, C., Eds.; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2009; pp. 258-265.
4. Hoge, C.W.; Castro, C.A.; Messer, S.C.; McGurk, D.; Cotting, D.I.; Koffman, R.L. Combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, mental health problems, and barriers to care. N. Engl. J. Med. 2004, 351, 13-22.
5. Wells, T.S.; Miller, S.C.; Adler, A.B.; Engel, C.C.; Smith, T.C.; Fairbank, J.A. The impact of current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts on military mental health: A US perspective. Int. Rev. Psychiatry 2011, 23, 144-152.
6. Deahl, M.P.; Klein, S.; Alexander D.A. The costs of conflict: Meeting the mental health needs of serving personnel and service veterans. Int. Rev. Psychiatry 2011, 23, 201-209.
7. Sundararman, R.; Panangala, S.V.; Loster, S.A. CRS Report for Congress. Suicide among Veterans; 2008; p. 13. Available online: http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34471_20080505.pdf (accessed on 11 July 2012).
8. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. Evaluation of Suicide Prevention Program Implementation in Veterans Health Administration Facilities; 2009; p. 15. Available online: http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/fdlp927/VAOIG-09-00326-223.pdf (accessed on 11 July 2012).
9. Cogan, J. US Military Suicide Rates at Record High; 2009. Available online: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/feb2009/suic-f04.shtml (accessed on 4 February 2009).
10. US Army Suicides Reach Record High. Available online: http://www.defenceweb.co.za/ index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18078:us-army-suicides-reach-recordhigh& catid=50:Land&Itemid=105 (accessed on 16 August 2011).
11. Kang, H.K.; Bullman T.A. Is there an epidemic of suicides among current and former US military personnel? Ann. Epidemiol. 2009, 19, 757-760.
12. Bossarte, R.M.; Claassen, C.A.; Knox, K.L. Evaluating evidence of risk for suicide among veterans. Mil. Med. 2010, 175, 703-704.
13. Kaplan, M.; Huguet, N.; McFarland, B.H.; Newsom J.T. Suicide among male veterans: A prospective population-based study. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2007, 61, 619-624.
14. Miller, M.; Barber, C.; Azrael, D.; Calle, E.E.; Lawler, E.; Mukamal, K.L. Suicide among US veterans: A prospective study of 500,000 middle-aged and elderly men. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2009, 170, 494-500.
15. Wasserman, D. Ed. Suicide. In An Unnecessary Death; Martin Dunitz: London, UK, 2001; pp. 13-27.
16. Heeringen, K.; Hawton, K.; Williams, J.M.G. Pathways to Suicide: An Integrated Approach. In Suicide and Attempted Suicide; Hawton, K., Heeringen, K., Eds.; John Wiley and Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2000; pp. 223-234.
17. Koenen, K.C.; Nugent N.R.; Amstadter, A.B. Gene-environment interaction in posttraumatic stress disorder. Eur. Arch. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2008, 258, 82-96.
18. Roy, A.; Sarchiapone, M. Interaction of Hereditary and Environmental Factors in the Psychiatric Disorders Associated with Suicidal Behaviour. In Oxford Textbook of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention; Wasserman, D., Wasserman, C., Eds.; Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 2009; pp. 183-187.
19. Rozanov, V.A. Genes-Environment Interaction and Development of PTSD. In Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Returning Troops (Wounds of War II); Wiederhold, B., Ed.; IOS Press: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2010; pp. 13-19.
20. Szyf, M. DNA methylation, the early-life social environment and behavioral disorders. J. Neurodev. Disord. 2011, 3, 238-249.
21. Labonte, B.; Turecki, G. The epigenetics of suicide: Explaining the biological effects of early life environmental adversity. Arch. Suicide Res. 2011, 14, 291-310.
22. Selby, E.A.; Anestis, M.D.; Bender, T.W.; Ribeiro, J.D.; Nock, M.K.; Rudd, M.D.; Bryan, C.J.; Lim, I.C.; Baker, M.T.; Gutierrez, P.M.; et al. Overcoming the fear of lethal injury: Evaluating suicidal behavior in the military through the lens of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 2010, 30, 298-307.
23. Pokorny, A.D. Suicide in war veterans: Rates and methods. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 1967, 144, 224-229.
24. Postservice mortality among Vietnam veterans. The Centers for Disease Control Vietnam Experience study. JAMA 1987, 257, 790-795.
25. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd ed.; American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC, USA, 1980.
26. Buydens-Branchey, L.; Noumar, D.; Branchey, M. Duration and intensity of combat exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 1990, 178, 582-587.
27. Bullman, T.A.; Kang, H.K. Posttraumatic stress disorder and the risk of traumatic deaths among Vietnam veterans. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 1994, 182, 604-610.
28. Bullman, T.A.; Kang, H.K. The risk of suicide among wounded Vietnam veterans. Am. J. Public Health 1996, 86, 662-667.
29. Kramer, T.L.; Lindy, J.D.; Green, B.L.; Grace, M.C.; Leonard, A.C. The comorbidity of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidality in Vietnam veterans. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1994, 24, 58-67.
30. Hendin, H.; Haas, A.P. Suicide and guilt as manifestations of PTSD in Vietnam combat veterans. Am. J. Psychiatry 1991, 148, 586-591.
31. Kang, H.K.; Bullman, T.A. Mortality among US veterans of the Persian Gulf War. N. Engl. J. Med. 1996, 335, 1498-1504.
32. Kang, H.K.; Bullman, T.A. Mortality among US veterans of the Gulf War: Seven year follow-up. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2001, 154, 399-405.
33. Clifton, E. Suicide Rate Surged among Veterans. Available online: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp? idnews=49971 (accessed on 13 January 2010).
34. Kang, H.K.; Bullman, T.A. Risk of suicide among US veterans after returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones. JAMA 2008, 300, 652-653.
35. Breslin, P.; Kang, H.K.; Lee, Y.; Burt, V.; Shepard, B.M. Proportionate mortality study of US Army and US Marine Corps veterans of the Vietnam War. J. Occup. Med. 1988, 30, 412-419.
36. Boehmer, C.; Flanders, D.; McGeehin, M.; Boyle, C.; Barett, D.H. Post service mortality in Vietnam veterans: 30-year follow-up. Arch. Int. Med. 2004, 164, 1908-1916.
37. Adena, M.A.; Cobbin, D.M.; Fett, M.J.; Forcier, L.; Hudson, H.M.; Long, A.A.; Nairn, J.R.; O'Toole, B.I. Mortality among Vietnam veterans compared with non-veterans and the Australian population. Med. J. Aust. 1985, 143, 541-544.
38. Macfarlane, G.J.; Thomas, E.; Cherry, M. Mortality among UK Gulf War veterans. Lancet 2000, 356, 17-21.
39. Spooner, M.H. Suicide claiming more British Falkland veterans than fighting did. CMAJ 2002, 166, 1453.
40. Nad, S.; Marcinko, D.; Vuksan-Aeusa, B.; Jakovljević, M.; Jakovljevic, G. Spiritual well-being, intrinsic religiosity, and suicidal behavior in predominantly Catholic Croatian war veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder: A case control study. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 2008, 196, 79-83.
41. Price, R.K.; Risk, N.K.; Lewis, C.E.; Lewis, C.E.; Spitznagel, E.L. Post-traumatic stress disorder, drug dependence and suicidality among male Vietnam veterans with a history of heavy drug use. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2004, 76, 31-43.
42. Jakupcak, M.; Cook, J.; Imel, Z.; Fontana, A.; Rosenheck, R.; McFall, M. Posttraumatic stress disorder as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. J. Trauma. Stress 2009, 22, 303-306.
43. Boscarino, J.A. Posttraumatic stress disorder and mortality among US Army veterans 30 years after military service. Ann. Epidemiol. 2006, 16, 248-256.
44. Zivin, K.; Kim, M.; McCarthy, J.F.; Austin, K.L.; Hoggatt, K.J.; Walters, H.; Valenstein, M. Suicide mortality among individuals receiving treatment for depression in the Veterans Affairs Health System: Associations with patient and treatment setting characteristics. Am. J. Public Health 2007, 97, 2193-2198.
45. Benda, B.B. Discrimination of suicide thoughts and attempts among homeless veterans who abuse substances. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2003, 33, 430-442.
46. Benda, B.B. Gender differences in predictors of suicidal thoughts and attempts among homeless veterans that abuse substances. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2005, 35, 106-116.
47. Begic, D.; Jokic-Begic, N. Aggressive behavior in combat-veterans with post-traumatic disorder. Mil. Med. 2001, 166, 671-676.
48. Freeman, T.W.; Roca, V.; Kimbrell, T. A survey of gun collection and use among three groups of veterans patients admitted to veterans' affairs hospital treatment program. South. Med. J. 2003, 96, 240-243.
49. Sher, L. Suicide in war veterans: The role of comorbidity of PTSD and depression. Expert Rev. Neurother. 2009, 9, 921-923.
50. Sher, L. A model of suicidal behavior in war veterans with posttraumatic mood disorder. Med. Hypotheses 2009, 73, 215-219.
51. Rutz, W.; Rihmer, Z. Suicide in Men. Suicide Prevention for the Male Person. In Oxford Textbook of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention; Wasserman, D., Wasserman, C., Eds.; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2009; pp. 250-255.
52. Ritchie, E.C.; Benedek, D.; Malone, R.; Carr-Malone, R. Psychiatry and the military: An update. Psychiatr. Clin. North Am. 2006, 29, 695-707.
53. Weiner, J.; Richmond, T.S.; Conigliaro, J.; Wiebe, D.J. Military veteran mortality following a survived suicide attempt. BMC Public Health 2011, 11, doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-374.
54. McFarland, B.H.; Kaplan, M.S.; Huguet, N. Datapoints: Self-inflicted deaths among women with US military service: A hidden epidemic? Psychiatr. Serv. 2010, 61, doi:10.1176/ appi.ps.61.12.1177.
55. Kaplan, M.S.; McFarland, B.H.; Huguet, N. Firearm suicide among veterans in the general population: Findings from the national violent death reporting system. J. Trauma. 2009, 67, 503-507.
56. Pfeiffer, P.N.; Ganoczy, D.; Ilgen, M.; Zivin, K.; Valenstein, M. Comorbid anxiety as a suicide risk factor among depressed veterans. Depress. Anxiety 2009, 26, 752-757.
57. Gutierrez, P.M.; Brenner, L.A.; Huggins, J.A. A preliminary investigation of suicidality in psychiatrically hospitalized veterans with traumatic brain injury. Arch. Suicide Res. 2008, 12, 336-343.
58. Brenner, L.A.; Ignacio, R.V.; Blow, F.C. Suicide and traumatic brain injury among individuals, seeking Veterans Health Administration services. J. Head Trauma Rehabil. 2011, 26, 257-264.
59. Ilgen, M.A.; Zivin, K.; Austin, K.L.; Czyz, E.K.; Valenstein, M.; KIlbourne. A.M. Severe pain predicts greater likelihood of subsequent suicide. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2010, 40, 597-608.
60. Ku, Y.C.; Tsai, Y.F.; Lin, Y.C.; Lin, I.P. Suicide experiences among institutionalized older veterans in Taiwan. Gerontologist 2009, 49, 746-754.
61. Thoresen, S.; Mehlum, L.; Moller, B. Suicide in peacekeepers-A cohort study of mortality from suicide in 22,275 Norwegian veterans from international peacekeepers operations. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 2003, 38, 605-610.
62. Thoresen, S.; Mehlum, L. Risk factors for fatal accidents and suicides in peacekeepers: Is there an overlap? Mil. Med. 2004, 169, 988-993.
63. Wong, A.; Excobar, M.; Lessage, A.; Loyer, M.; Vanier, C.; Sakinofskiy, I. Are UN peacekeepers at risk of suicide? Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2001, 31,103-112.
64. Michel, P.O.; Lundin, T.; Larsson, G. Suicide rate among former Swedish peacekeeping personnel. Mil. Med. 2007, 172, 278-282.
65. Rudd, M.D. The suicidal mode: A cognitive-behavioral model of suicidality. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2000, 30, 18-33.
66. Bagley, S.C.; Munjas, B.; Shekelle, P. A systematic review of suicide prevention programs for military or veterans. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2010, 40, 257-265.
67. Mills, P.D.; Neily, J.; Luan, D.; Osborne, A.; Howard, K. Actions and implementation strategies to reduce suicidal events in the Veterans Health Administration. Jt. Comm. J. Qual. Patient Saf. 2006, 32, 130-141.
68. Gruden, V.; Gruden, V.; Gruden, Z. Club as an integral approach to war veterans. Coll. Antropol. 1999, 23, 309-313.
69. Bossarte, R.; Claassen, C.A.; Knox, K.L. Veteran suicide prevention: Emerging priorities and opportunities for intervention. Mil. Med. 2010, 175, 461-462.
70. Matthieu, M.M.; Cross, W.; Batres, A.R.; Flora, C.M.; Knox, K.L. Evaluation of gatekeeper training for suicide prevention in veterans. Arch. Suicide Res. 2008, 12, 148-154.
71. Rozanov, V.A.; Mokhovikov, A.N.; Stiliha, R. Successful model of suicide prevention in the Ukraine military environment. Crisis 2002, 23, 171-177.
72. Difede, J.; Barchas, J.D. Psychiatric and neurologic aspects of war: An overview and perspective. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 2010, 1208, 1-9.
73. Bruce, M.L. Suicide risk and prevention in veteran populations. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 2010, 1208, 98-103.
74. Brewin, C.R.; Garnett, R.; Andrews, B. Trauma, identity and mental health in UK military veterans. Psychol. Med. 2011, 41, 1733-1740.
75. Bryan, C.J.; Cukrowicz, K.C. Associations between types of combat violence and the acquired capability for suicide. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2011, 41, 126-136.
76. Walker, S. Assessing the mental health consequences of military combat in Iraq and Afghanistan: A literature review. J. Psychiatr. Ment. Health Nurs. 2010, 17, 790-796.
77. Sher, L.; Yehuda, R. Preventing suicide among returning combat veterans: A moral imperative. Mil. Med. 2011, 176, 601-602.
78. Wasserman, D.; Durkee, T. Strategies in Suicide Prevention. In Oxford Textbook of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention; Wasserman, D., Wasserman, C., Eds.; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2009; pp. 382-384.