Nichter Brandon, Stein Murray B, Norman Sonya B, Hill Melanie L, Straus Elizabeth, Haller Moira, Pietrzak Robert H
Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.
Corresponding author: Brandon Nichter, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, CA, 92093 (
J Clin Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 10;82(5):20m13714. doi: 10.4088/JCP.20m13714.
US military veterans have high rates of suicide relative to civilians. However, little is known about the prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviors in the general US veteran population. Data were from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a representative survey of US veterans conducted in 2019-2020 (n = 4,069). Analyses (1) estimated the prevalence of current suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide plans, and lifetime suicide attempts; (2) identified associated sociodemographic, military, psychiatric, and other risk correlates; and (3) examined mental health treatment utilization among veterans with suicidal ideation, suicide plans, or suicide attempts. The prevalence of current suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide plans, and lifetime suicide attempts was 9.0%, 7.3%, and 3.9%, respectively. Suicidal behaviors were most prevalent among veterans aged 18-44 years, with 18.2%, 19.3%, and 11.1%, respectively, endorsing suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts. Major depressive disorder (MDD), age, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) emerged as the strongest correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide plans, while MDD, age, alcohol use disorder, and ACEs were the strongest correlates of suicide attempts. Only 35.5% of veterans with current suicidal ideation were engaged in mental health treatment, with veterans who used the US Veterans Administration (VA) as their primary source of health care more than twice as likely as VA non-users to be engaged in such treatment (54.7% vs 23.8%). Suicidal behaviors are highly prevalent among US veterans, particularly among young veterans. Results suggest that nearly two-thirds of veterans with current suicidal ideation are not engaged in mental health treatment, signaling the need for enhanced suicide prevention and outreach efforts.
与普通民众相比，美国退伍军人的自杀率较高。然而，对于美国退伍军人总体中自杀行为的患病率及相关因素，人们了解甚少。数据来自《退伍军人健康与复原力研究》，这是一项在2019 - 2020年对美国退伍军人进行的代表性调查（n = 4069）。分析内容包括：(1) 估计当前自杀意念、终生自杀计划和终生自杀未遂的患病率；(2) 确定相关的社会人口统计学、军事、精神及其他风险相关因素；(3) 调查有自杀意念、自杀计划或自杀未遂的退伍军人的心理健康治疗利用情况。当前自杀意念、终生自杀计划和终生自杀未遂的患病率分别为9.0%、7.3%和3.9%。自杀行为在18 - 44岁的退伍军人中最为普遍，分别有18.2%、19.3%和11.1%的人认可自杀意念、自杀计划和自杀未遂。重度抑郁症（MDD）、年龄、创伤后应激障碍和童年不良经历（ACEs）是自杀意念和自杀计划最强的相关因素，而MDD、年龄、酒精使用障碍和ACEs是自杀未遂最强的相关因素。当前有自杀意念的退伍军人中，只有35.5%的人接受心理健康治疗，将美国退伍军人事务部（VA）作为主要医疗保健来源的退伍军人接受此类治疗的可能性是不使用VA的退伍军人的两倍多（54.7%对23.8%）。自杀行为在美国退伍军人中非常普遍，尤其是在年轻退伍军人中。结果表明，近三分之二有当前自杀意念的退伍军人未接受心理健康治疗，这表明需要加强自杀预防和外展工作。
