Chaplain comments on veteran suicide
From The Presbyterian Outlook:
While there is no all-encompassing explanation for veteran suicide, the Rev. Michael Gillespie, a retired Veterans Administration chaplain, says contributing factors include economic disparities, homelessness, service and social connection, and health and well-being, which apply to the general population as well.
Most veteran suicides involve firearms. And veterans have greater access and more familiarity with firearms, which is why “gun violence and gun control are somewhat related to this topic,” Gillespie said.
What is alarming to Gillespie is the dramatic increase in veteran suicides among both younger and older veterans.
While the 2019 VA report on Suicide Prevention from 2005-2017 states that there was a 43.6 percent increase in deaths by suicide in the general population, compared to a 6.1 percent increase in veteran suicides — making it look as if veterans are doing better than the general population — Gillespie says it’s “not that simple.”