LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A study reported by military.com, a website for breaking military news, has shown that suicide among the post-9/11 veterans rose more than tenfold from 2006 to 2020 even though the rate among the general public in the U.S. adult population has remained relatively flat.

The study looked at the records of 2.5 million military veterans who served on active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, and who had received three years of medical care through the military health system or at least two years at the VA. The researchers found that from 2006 to 2020, 8,262 veterans died by suicide while during the same time period 562,411 civilians died by suicide, which translates to a rate of roughly 42 per 100,000 for veterans versus about 18 per 100,000 for the general population when looking at the two groups across the same 15-year time frame.

MORE NEWS: Nesbitt Tops Mackinac Island Straw Poll as James Skips MIGOP Forum in Michigan

The study shows that the suicide rates were highest among veterans who were ages 35 to 44, followed closely by the 25- to 34-year-old group, and among Native and Alaskan Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders as well as veterans with traumatic brain injury. Veterans diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury had suicide rates 56% higher than those without a head injury – and three times higher than the general population.

The military.com website says that the findings were built on work published in February 2022 by Jeffrey Howard, an associate professor of public health at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who led the current study as well. The previous study found that veterans with even mild traumatic brain injury, as well as those with moderate to severe injuries, were more likely to die by suicide, accidents or homicides than their counterparts who had never received any blows to the head.

The authors of the study speculate that the rise in suicides among veterans could be the result of increases in mental health diagnoses, substance misuse and the availability and access of firearms which they say is the most utilized method for suicide among veterans. The military.com website also said, “Limitations that may have skewed the results include misclassifications of death, such as not identifying a death as a suicide, underreporting of TBI, and that the research did not include veterans who left the service in less than three years or who had not received care at the VA.”

In an email Monday to Military.com, Howard also said his researchers published the brief because they had received an update of the national death index data through 2020 and the group was interested to see how the rates may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic – but when they looked at the rate trend, what “really stood out was just how dramatically they had increased over the past 15 years.”

The Michigan Dept. of Military & Veterans Affairs put out a statement about the study that said, “That U.S. veterans struggle with brain injuries, mental health conditions and suicide is not news. Military service was, before 2008, a protective factor against suicide, with troops having lower rates than their civilian counterparts. But since that year, which coincided with a surge in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, suicide rates have risen steadily, despite enormous efforts by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to prevent the deaths.”

The retrospective study, which was published last week in JAMA Neurology, appears to show that the multimillion-dollar suicide prevention programs and initiatives have had little impact just as the Michigan Dept. of Military & Veterans Affairs stated.

MORE NEWS: Deer Still Contaminated with PFAS in Parts of Iosco County

Howard, who led the study said about the results of the study, ”We were pretty stunned, honestly. Even though this is just a descriptive analysis, the trends are so alarming we felt we needed to report it as soon as possible.”

Howard told the military.com website that one of the biggest takeaways from the study is that the current approaches and efforts to prevent suicide in the military and veteran population do “not appear to have impacted the (upward) trend,” which he acknowledged is discouraging but “important to know.”

He said, “I think this points to the need to reevaluate how we are going about trying to reduce suicide. I think it is not solely a clinical solution, but there is a need for a much broader, multifaceted approach.”

 In September of 2022, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a $1.2 million investment in veteran suicide prevention programs to improve the health and well-being of Michigan’s more than 550,000 military veterans and their families.

“Veteran suicide remains a persistent problem in Michigan and nationwide, and we must use every resource and tool we have to protect the lives of our former service members,” Whitmer said. “I will work with anyone to ensure that they have high-quality mental and physical health care and economic and educational opportunities.”

Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) Director Zaneta Adams had said at the time, “The funding will support the ongoing efforts of the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans and their Families. Effective veteran suicide prevention strategy involves a holistic approach. We know that connection to health care and other resources reduces suicides for veterans, so when we help a veteran with housing needs or emergency grant assistance, we are part of the prevention. But we need help from everyone. From barbershops to banks to schools to hospitals to churches, we should all take part in preventing suicides among veterans and their families through the Michigan Veteran Connector initiative.”

In addition to the state investment, the MVAA also announced that it would be receiving a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for $750,000 per year for up to three years to address veteran suicide. To read more about that grant – the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program – you can click here.

According to data from the VA, 882 Michigan veterans died by suicide from 2016-20, an average of 176 suicides annually over five years.

One thing that veterans are turning to in order to help deal with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) issues is animals, whether that comes in the form of support dogs or even equines. Last year, the Detroit Free Press wrote about how the Michigan National Guard is turning to dogs to help stop veteran suicide. The National Guard Association of Michigan launched a campaign called “54 by 24: Service Dogs Save Lives” and their goal is to raise $1.4 million by the summer of 2024. Money for the campaign will cover the cost to train and place service dogs with veterans.

Others are looking to horses to use to help veterans. In the northern lower Michigan town of Traverse City, horses are truly making a difference. Between the equine assisted therapy programs at Peace Ranch and the veteran programs and services at Reining Liberty Ranch, horses are offering therapeutic benefits to veterans who need a helping hoof to help them with past and present issues they are dealing with.