Kara Zivin ^1*, H. Myra Kim ¹, John F. McCarthy ¹, Karen L. Austin ², Katherine J. Hoggatt ³, Heather Walters ⁴, Marcia Valenstein ⁵

¹ VA Ann Arbor / University of Michigan Medical School
² VA Ann Arbor
³ University of Michigan School of Public Health
⁴ University of Michigan Medical School
⁵ heawalte@umich.edu

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kzivin{at}umich.edu.

	Abstract

Objectives. We sought to report clinical and demographic factors associated with suicide among depressed veterans in an attempt to determine what characteristics identified depressed veterans at high risk for suicide.

Methods. We used longitudinal, nationally representative data (1999–2004) to determine suicide rates among depressed veterans, estimating time until suicide using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results. Of 807694 veterans meeting study criteria, 1683 (0.21%) committed suicide during follow-up. Increased suicide risks were observed among male, younger, and non-Hispanic White patients. Veterans without military service-connected disabilities, with inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations in the year prior to their qualifying depression diagnosis, with comorbid substance use, and living in the southern or western United States were also at higher risk. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with comorbid depression was associated with lower suicide rates, and younger depressed veterans with PTSD had a higher suicide rate than did older depressed veterans with PTSD.

Conclusions. We provide new information regarding suicide risks among depressed veterans. Unlike the general population, older and younger veterans are more prone to suicide than are middle-aged veterans. Future research should examine the relationship between depression, PTSD, health service use, and suicide risks among veterans.

Key Words: Mental Health, Mortality

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. K. Kang and T. A. Bullman Risk of Suicide Among US Veterans After Returning From the Iraq or Afghanistan War Zones JAMA, August 13, 2008; 300(6): 652 - 653. [Full Text] [PDF]