The Department of Defense (DoD) released the DoD Annual Report on Suicide (ARSM) in the Military: Calendar Year (CY) 2023. The report provides annual data on suicide counts and rates among Service members and their dependents and outlines current and ongoing suicide prevention efforts across the Department.

The Department assesses suicide rates - the number of suicide deaths per 100,000 people per year - to better understand changes or trends in suicidal behavior. Suicide rates fluctuate from year to year.

  • In CY 2023, 523 Service members died by suicide, which is more than the previous year (493). The Total Force rate – which is the focus of the ASRM report – of suicide deaths per 100,000 Service members was 9 percent higher than in 2022.
  • Active Component suicide rates have gradually increased since 2011. The 2023 Active Component rate is higher (12 percent) than 2022. This 12 percent increase was not statistically significant.
  • Active Component suicide rates were similar to the U.S. population in most years between 2011-2023 after accounting for age and sex differences.
  • Most Service members who died by suicide were young, enlisted men.
  • In CY 2022, 146 family members died by suicide, including 93 spouses and 53 dependents. While every death by suicide is a tragedy, we are cautiously encouraged at this reduction from the previous year (CY 2021) when 165 family members died by suicide.
  • Firearms were the primary method of suicide death for Service members (65 percent for the Active Component) and family members (61 percent for spouses and 43 percent for dependents).

For the complete report: https://www.dspo.mil/

Ways to Cope with a Suicide Loss or Attempt

You don’t have to be an expert to help a Veteran. Everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention. We offer a wide range of resources for people to support their Veteran loved ones and we provide guidance on how you can stay safe and healthy while supporting the Veteran you care about.

Sadly, many people know someone who died by suicide. Coping with death is hard. It can be especially hard when a loss is untimely and traumatic.

Resource for Coping With Loss

While grieving, it's normal to experience intense and distressing thoughts and emotions, such as denial, anger, sadness, and loneliness. You may also struggle to understand why that person took their own life or worry that you missed a warning sign.

These thoughts and feelings may be hard to talk about and may last a long time, change over time, and resurface on holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays. It's not uncommon to develop certain mental conditions, such as depression and anxiety, that make it even harder to cope.

Here are some resources:

Veterans Affairs (VA) Caregiver Support;