Thread by @TrueBoots

We may have a new statistic of "17 per day" but know that this represents an uptick in veteran suicides from the previous year. It is truly disappointing for VA to shift this key, understandable metric amid failure to stem the #veteransuicide crisis: bit.ly/2kUqCHd

Veterans are dying by suicide at 1.5x the rate of those who have never served. This also no longer includes the suicide rate of those who are currently serving in active and reserve components of the military.

Military service is a key risk factor for suicide--therefore @DeptVetAffairs taking those currently serving in the military from its reporting on #veteransuicide removes CRITICAL data.

@DeptVetAffairs Removal of active and reserve/guard from #veteransuicide data also reinforces wrong stereotypes--that somehow those still serving after multiple tours aren't actually veterans. Active troops as well meet federal criteria as veterans. What gives?

@DeptVetAffairs 2.5 suicide deaths per day were veterans of the Guard or Reserve who were never federally activated. This is all the more reason to continue breaking out #veteransuicide data of not only discharged/retired reservists, but also current ones.

@DeptVetAffairs Nearly half of our nation's total military force is in the Guard or Reserve. Many of them identify as veterans, who also happen to still be serving on a monthly or annual basis. This population is not being accounted for in new @DeptVetAffairs #veteransuicide data.

@DeptVetAffairs It is unconscionable that we are receiving less data now on #veteransuicide even as rates go up.

@DeptVetAffairs Key data from today's report: Veterans ages 18–34 had the HIGHEST suicide rate in 2017 (44.5 per 100,000). The #veteransuicide rate for Veterans ages 18–34 increased by 76% from 2005 to 2017.

@DeptVetAffairs The absolute number of suicides was highest among Veterans 55–74 years old. This group accounted for 38% of all #veteransuicide deaths in 2017.

@DeptVetAffairs After adjusting for age, the 2017 rate of suicide among women Veterans was 2.2 times the rate among non-Veteran women; the rate of suicide among male Veterans was 1.3 times higher than the rate among
non-Veteran males. #veteransuicide

@DeptVetAffairs One more time for the folks in the back: WOMEN VETERANS ARE 2.2X MORE LIKELY to die by suicide than women who did not serve in the military. #veteransuicide

@DeptVetAffairs The determined inadequacy of yesterday's #veteransuicide report is still getting to me. See for yourself. mentalhealth.va.gov/mentalhealth/s…

@DeptVetAffairs The FAQs ask itself, "Does VA agree with the commonly cited figure that 20 Veterans per day die by suicide?" It is plainly clear this is why @DeptVetAffairs removed active & reserve troop numbers, even those who otherwise qualify fully as veterans.

@DeptVetAffairs A troubling data point buried in the text and FAQs: the suicide rate of veterans receiving @DeptVetAffairs healthcare is HIGHER than that of veterans not receiving VA care. #veteransuicide

@DeptVetAffairs Amid eye-crossing charts and "context" here is the statement: "For each year, from 2005 to 2017, Veterans with recent VHA use had higher suicide rates than other Veterans." This must come out more strongly in VSO discussions of #veteransuicide.

@DeptVetAffairs Far more space in the report is given to assertions that veterans seeking VA healthcare are lower income & more likely to experience substance abuse & homelessness--but this doesn't bear out as reasonable explanation for consistently higher #veteransuicide rate.

@DeptVetAffairs I know it's not exciting to howl on Twitter on a Saturday about a govt report released yesterday--but truly, how are we accepting such shoddy work from @DeptVetAffairs to explain this continued increase in #veteransuicide?

@DeptVetAffairs The more I spend time reading it, the more I'm like, who thought this was remotely appropriate? Anyone read the FAQs document? It's beyond defensive and petty and reinforcing terrible stereotypes of low income individuals and those who've sought mental healthcare.

@DeptVetAffairs Q: "What is the role that access to VHA services plays in Veteran suicide rates?"
A: " As more Veterans access VHA services than in previous years, the proportion of suicide deaths among patients who were recent users of VHA services has increased." Wut.

@DeptVetAffairs Q: "What is the role that access to VHA services plays in Veteran suicide rates?"
A: "Even though the rate of suicide among Veterans using VHA services is higher... the lower rate of increase suggests that our world-class health care and engagement are making a difference."
🤔

@DeptVetAffairs Appearing once, and only as a footnote is that veterans who've experienced homelessness die by suicide at higher rates--and it's only included to "contextualize" the higher rate of #veteransuicide for those receiving VA care.

@DeptVetAffairs Meanwhile, last year a study documented that veterans who have experienced homelessness are 5x more likely to attempt suicide. This needs far more than a footnote. bit.ly/2lZAjo6

@DeptVetAffairs Plenty more is left out of latest @DeptVetAffairs report on #veteransuicide. Another example: elevated risk for LGBTQ veterans. We've seen absence of acknowledgement: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24494604

@DeptVetAffairs LGBTQ veterans don't even merit a footnote in @DeptVetAffairs #veteransuicide report. And there's barely token mention on VA Crisis Line materials, with near-zero substance: …heconversation.veteranscrisisline.net/audience/lgbt-…