Suicide after leaving the UK Armed Forces 1996–2018: A cohort study

Abstract

Background: There are comparatively few international studies investigating suicide in military veterans and no recent UK studies. We aimed to investigate the rate, timing, and risk factors for suicide in personnel who left the UK Armed Forces (UKAF) over a 22-year period. Methods and findings: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of suicide in personnel who left the regular UKAF between 1996 and 2018 by linking national databases of discharged personnel and suicide deaths. Of the 458,058 individuals who left the UKAF, 1,086 (0.2%) died by suicide. The overall rate of suicide in veterans was not greater than the general population (SMR [95% CI] 94 [88-99]). However, suicide risk was two to four times higher in male and female veterans aged under 25 years than in the same age groups in the general population (age-specific mortality ratios ranging from 160 to 409). Male veterans aged 35 years and older were at reduced risk of suicide (age-specific mortality ratios 47 to 80). Male sex, Army service, discharge between the ages of 16 and 34 years, being untrained on discharge, and length of service under 10 years were associated with increased suicide risk. Factors associated with reduced risk included being married, a higher rank and deployment on combat operations. The rate of contact with specialist NHS mental health services (273/1,086, 25%) was lowest in the youngest age groups (10% for 16-19-year-olds; 23% for 20-24-year-olds). Conclusions: Suicide risk in veterans is not high but there are important differences according to age, with higher risk in young men and women. We found a number of factors which increased the risk of suicide but deployment was associated with reduced risk. Our focus should be on improving and maintaining access to mental health care and social supports for young service leavers, as well as implementing general suicide prevention measures for all veterans.