STUDY: CANADIAN VETERANS 'SIGNIFICANTLY' MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT SUICIDE
Dec 07, 2017
By Bob Komsic
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A landmark study from Veterans Affairs Canada confirms a long-held belief – former soldiers; male and female, are more likely than the general population to take their own lives.
Nearly 40 years of data involving the records of 200,000 ex-members found 36% of males were at a greater risk of suicide than those who had never served.
The risk among female vets was even greater – 81%.
The study comes out just weeks after the federal government released a joint suicide prevention strategy involving the veterans and defence departments.
Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan says the findings are a good first step to understanding the issue as the government looks to improve services and supports.