Suicide rate higher for male veterans: study

Male veterans of the Canadian Forces are more likely to die from suicide than similarly aged men in the general Canadian population, according to a suicide prevention strategy released Thursday.

Such veterans tended to be age 30 or older, to come from the lower ranks of the military and to have fewer than 10 years of service, according to the Joint Suicide Prevention Strategy developed by the Canadian Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada.

The soldiers tended to have been released from the military for medical reasons or under circumstances where they did not want to leave the Forces, the strategy said, citing a Statistics Canada study. It represents a small victory for critics who have challenged the claims of the Canadian Forces' leadership that suicide rates in the military are lower than in Canadian society.

Critics have long argued such claims are flawed because the military doesn't track personnel after they have left the Forces. A soldier who leaves the military and kills him or herself years, months or even days later is not included in statistics gathered by the military or government.

The strategy released Thursday said “suicide rates for the Canadian Armed Forces are broadly in keeping with those of the general population. We have less comprehensive information about veterans available to us but we are working to improve our knowledge of the veteran community.”

“Based on the information available, it would seem that suicide can be more common among veterans as compared to the Canadian population,” it added.

The authors cited a Statistics Canada study that compared the reported suicide rate in serving and released Canadian military members who enrolled in service from 1972 to 2006.

“The study found that male veterans were more likely to die by suicide than similarly aged males in the general population, averaged over the 35-year study period,” the strategy said.

In general, female veterans were far less likely to die by suicide than males and were not more likely to die by suicide than women in the general population, it added.

The strategy cites over 160 initiatives that are underway or in development, Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan said Thursday.

“We must do better,” O'Regan told journalists. “This new strategy is a solid step in doing so.”

Some of the initiatives that already exist include various sports and health programs and counselling services. New initiatives will include hiring one specialist to advise the Forces on addiction and another to advise on the issue of suicide. Improvements are promised to the process around veterans' departure from the military.

In addition, a centre of excellence for research on mental health and post-traumatic stress disorders will be established, though details aren't being released yet.

A new fund will allow Veterans Affairs to react quickly to deal with homeless former soldiers or other issues not directly related to their military service. Some soldiers have complained their careers have suffered after they have admitted dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders or other mental issues.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance said Thursday he will not tolerate any form of stigma or judgment “levied against someone who has the courage to ask for help.”

“If you do have a problem, you will get the help you need,” he promised military personnel in a message Thursday. “Our medical system exists to treat you for any injury or wound you sustain — whether mental or physical, on deployment or at home.”

Vance said he expects all military leaders to foster a culture of respect and compassion that puts the well-being of military personnel and their families first.

The issue of suicide and the treatment of soldiers, particularly Afghan veterans, has made headlines over the last few years. The leadership of both the Canadian Forces and Veterans Affairs have long claimed that serving and former soldiers receive topnotch care. Col. Rakesh Jetly, the senior psychiatrist for the Forces, has described the military's mental health program as “incredible.”

But the families of some veterans who have killed themselves say the military leadership and federal government have failed those soldiers.