Veteran suicide prevention

Risk usually builds from several pressures at once, like pain, poor sleep, a breakup and money loss. Protective factors push the other way.

Things that protect

• Coping and problem-solving skills
• Feeling connected to others, and to community
• Good, steady physical and mental health care
• Reasons for living, like family, friends or pets
• Reduced access to lethal means for people at risk
• Support from partners, friends and family

VA says creating time and space between a crisis and action gives crucial moments to face life’s challenges. Getting through the worst hours is often what makes recovery possible.

Many conditions that raise suicide risk, like PTSD, can be treated. For many people, PTSD treatment can get rid of symptoms altogether, and others end up with fewer or milder symptoms.

In a study of nearly 1.9 million service members who left the military from 2010 to 2017, suicide rates generally peaked 6 to 12 months after leaving. Younger people and those with shorter service were at higher risk.

Losing your role, your routine and the people who had your back can leave you asking “Who am I now?” and “What’s the point?”

In VA reviews of recent patients who died by suicide, pain, sleep problems, more health problems and recent declines in physical ability were among the most common risk factors.

Relationship problems and financial loss were also common risk factors in VA reviews. Feeling cut off from a partner or children can hit especially hard.

The Veterans Crisis Line lists feeling excessive guilt, shame or a sense of failure as a warning sign. Guilt about friends who died, or about things done or seen in service, can weigh heavily for years.

PTSD symptoms usually start soon after a traumatic event, but they may not appear until months or years later. Flashbacks, nightmares, numbness or always feeling on guard can wear a person down.

Increasing alcohol or drug misuse is a warning sign the Veterans Crisis Line asks people to take seriously.

Veterans in VA care with a history of homelessness had a suicide rate 143.5% higher than those with none. Veterans who received VA justice program services also had a much higher rate in 2024.

In 2024, veterans aged 18 to 34 had the highest suicide rate of any age group, 45.5 per 100,000. Rates were 53.0 for men and 13.2 for women in that age group.

Younger veterans may be building a career, a home and a support network from scratch, often far from the people they served with.

From 2023 to 2024, the suicide rate rose 5.4% for veterans aged 75 and older, while it fell for younger age groups.

Retirement, losing a spouse, declining health and losing independence can bring up loneliness and old memories. Pain and declines in physical ability are among the most common risk factors VA found.

In 2024, the age-adjusted suicide rate for women veterans was 99.9% higher than for non-veteran women. Firearms were involved in about half of women veterans’ suicide deaths, more often than for non-veteran women.

The Women Veterans Call Center offers support by call or text at 855-829-6636.

In 2024, 62% of veterans who died by suicide had not received VA health care that year or the year before. Since 2001, suicide rates fell slightly for enrolled veterans but rose sharply for those not enrolled.

You don’t need to be enrolled to call the Veterans Crisis Line. VA’s Fox suicide prevention grants also fund community groups to reach veterans who aren’t connected to VA.

The Veterans Crisis Line says it’s appropriate to ask directly whether someone is thinking about suicide, and that asking does not increase their risk. Many people feel relief when someone finally asks.

The Veterans Crisis Line is free, confidential and 24/7 for veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and the family and friends who support them. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care.

Suicidal crises can be short. Creating time and space between a crisis and action gives a person crucial moments to get through. That’s why safer storage and staying close matter.

Safer storage can mean a cable lock, a lockbox or a gun safe. VA gives free cable gun locks and says to find storage that fits your lifestyle, your family and your needs.

Millions of veterans have taken action to seek help. After VA’s “Don’t Wait. Reach Out.” campaign, 3.5 million veterans took a step toward support.

• A cable gun lock
• A gun safe
• A lockbox

You can get a free cable gun lock from your local VA. Just ask.

• Ask a trusted friend or family member to keep the keys or combination for a while
• Agree on a plan in advance with someone you trust
• Store ammunition separately and locked
• Think of it like clearing a weapon: a routine safety step, not a judgment

• Ask what would feel okay to them
• Lead with care: “I want you around. Could we lock these up for a while?”
• Offer to help, like holding a key or buying a lockbox
• Respect their experience and their values

VA includes lethal-means safety counseling as part of its suicide prevention care for enrolled veterans.

Tell them the line is confidential and that they decide how much to share. Offer to make the call together on a three-way call, and stay on the line if they want you to.

• Arguing about whether life is worth living
• Leaving them alone if you think they are in danger
• Prying with personal questions
• Promising to keep it a secret

Many veterans resist help at first because of pride, distrust or stigma. Pressure and ultimatums usually backfire. Staying close, checking in and making help easy to reach often works better.

Worrying about someone you love is exhausting. The Veterans Crisis Line supports family and friends too, and VA’s Caregiver Support Line is 1-855-260-3274.

All VA health care facilities provide same-day emergency mental health care. Under the COMPACT Act, eligible veterans can get emergency suicide-prevention care at any emergency department at no cost.

Each VA medical center has a Suicide Prevention Coordinator who connects veterans to counseling and services. You can find yours through the Veterans Crisis Line’s local resources directory.

• Collaborative safety planning
• Lethal-means safety counseling
• Risk screening to spot veterans who may need extra support
• Therapies that focus on suicide prevention

VA offers a Safety Plan app, and Make the Connection shares veterans’ stories of recovery and local resources.

Through VA’s Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grants, about 17,000 veterans, service members and family members got services in 2025. Grantees connected over 2,600 veterans who had never used VA health care to VA care and resources.

Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenges also bring states and cities together with VA to prevent suicide.

S.A.V.E. is a free online training from VA and PsychArmor for anyone who interacts with veterans: family, friends, employers, clergy, first responders and neighbors.

• Employers: share the Veterans Crisis Line and support time off for care
• Faith groups: welcome veterans and know where to point people for help
• Friends: do regular buddy checks, by text, call or visit
• Veteran groups: reach out to members who go quiet
• Everyone: ask “How are you really doing?” and mean it

• Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
• Vet Center Call Center: 1-877-927-8387, 24/7, to talk with another veteran
• Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 then press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net
• Women Veterans Call Center: call or text 855-829-6636

The Veterans Crisis Line has a TTY line for people who are deaf or hard of hearing: 1-800-799-4889.

TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) supports anyone grieving a military or veteran loved one, with a 24/7 helpline at 800-959-TAPS (8277). Vet Centers offer bereavement counseling, and VA lists more resources for survivors of suicide loss.

The Veterans Crisis Line website lists numbers for calling from each overseas region, including from military bases, and its online chat works from anywhere.

• Australia: Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling, 1800 011 046, 24/7
• Canada: VAC Assistance Service, 1-800-268-7708, 24/7
• United Kingdom: Combat Stress 24-hour helpline, 0800 138 1619

Anywhere else, findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines by country. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.