New Analysis Sheds Light On Suicide Rate Among Female Veterans

THE SUICIDE RATE AMONG AMERICAN MILITARY VETERANS IS HIGH COMPARED TO THE POPULATION AT LARGE BUT THE COMPARISON BECOMES SHOCKING AND YOU FOCUS ON THE RATES AMONG WOMEN. EMAIL VETERANS ARE FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE NOT SERVED IN THE MILITARY. THERE SUICIDE RATE FALLS JUST SHORT OF THAT FOR MALE VETERANS. TYPICALLY MEN ARE MANY TIMES MORE LIKELY TO KILL THEMSELVES THAN WOMEN. WHY DO SO MANY FEMALE VETS TAKE THEIR OWN LIVES? TODAY ON MIDDAY ADDITION WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO FIND OUT AND FIND OUT WHAT MAY EXPLAIN IT. JOINING THE IN STUDIO ARE NEAL DORAN AND TANYA SCIORILLI. DR. DURAN IS A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AT THE VA SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. THINKING NOW. AND TANYA SCIORILLI THIS REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY WOMEN'S VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA SAN DIEGO CHAPTER. SHE IS A FORMER MARINE WHO SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN. THANK YOU. DR. DURAN WHEN HE SAW THE STUDY THAT FEMALES WERE MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT SUICIDE THAN FEMALES IN THE GENERAL POPULATION WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT SURPRISING. WE HAVE NOT SEEN A LOT OF STUDIES THAT OF BEEN LARGE ENOUGH TO REALLY BREAK OUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN AND AS IF SET THE RATES ARE -- FOR WOMEN ARE MUCH MUCH HIGHER COMPARED TO WOMEN IN THE CIVILIAN POPULATION. HE SAID THAT WAS A SURPRISE. YOU DID NOT NECESSARILY SEE THAT COMING. NOT TO THAT EXTENT. IN THOSE FIRST STUDY THAT LOOKS IS SPECIFICALLY -- THAT LOOKS AT THE CYCLICALLY AT FEMALE VETERANS? CERTAINLY THERE BEEN ANOTHER STUDIES THAT HAVE HAD FEMALE VETERANS BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THAT HAS BEEN LARGE ENOUGH TO REALLY LOOK AT IT AT THIS LEVEL OF DETAIL. ONE OTHER ASPECT OF THE SOCIETY YOUNG FEMALE VETERANS ARE EVEN MORE LIKELY TO KILL THEMSELVES, 12 TIMES MORE THAN WOMEN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. WHAT YOU THINK IS GOING ON THERE? I THINK IT SPEAKS A LOT TO THE DIFFICULTY OF TRANSITIONING OUT OF THE MILITARY AND BACK INTO CIVILIAN LIFE PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE RELATIVELY YOUNG AND MAYBE LESS SETTLES AND IN TERMS OF WHERE THE LIFE IS AND WHAT THEY'RE GOING BACK TO. BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW HOW ARE THESE WOMEN COMMITTING SUICIDE. ARE THESE INCOMES? SOME ARE. IT'S A BIT LESS THAN HALF I BELIEVE IT WAS ABOUT 40%. THAT IS COMPARED TO 34% IN THE GENERAL POPULATION OF WOMEN. IT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT THAT IS PROBABLY RELATED TO THE FACT THAT FEMALE VETERANS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE FAMILIAR WITH AND COMFORTABLE WITH GUNS AND FEMALE CIVILIANS WOULD BE. WELL DR. DURAN GIVEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WHAT COULD BE SOME OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ARE. THERE ARE PROBABLY A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON. CERTAINLY FOR THOSE VETERANS WHO HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED IN COMBAT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY INCREASE THE RISK OF SUICIDE. THE DATA ON THAT IS A LITTLE BIT MIXED BUT ONE OF THE MORE INTERESTING THINGS IS SINCE WE HAVE AN ALL VOLUNTEER MALE -- MILITARY IT ENDS UP NOT BEING A RANT -- RANDOM SAMPLE. THERE ARE SOME -- WE KNOW THAT FOLKS WHO JOIN THE MILITARY ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE COMING FROM MORE DIFFICULT SITUATION SO WHETHER THAT BE FAMILY CONFLICT OR THEY MAY JOIN FOR ECONOMIC REASONS -- THE RISK OF HAVING AN ISSUE THAT MAY RAISE THE SUICIDE RISK PRIOR TO ENTERING THE MILITARY IS ELEVATED. THAT IS PROBABLY PARTIALLY EXPLAINS THAT. I BELIEVE I READ AN ARTICLE SAYING THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE POPULATION OF PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY WHO WERE DRAFTED -- WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE FROM THE VIETNAM ERA PEOPLE FROM THE WORLD WAR II ERA THAT THERE SUICIDE RATES ARE COMPARABLE WITH THE GENERAL POPULATION SO THAT SEEMS TO SUGGEST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THAT IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH ALL VOLUNTEER FORCE. THOSE WHO SELECT THEMSELVES INTO THE MILITARY RATHER THAN THE GOVERNMENT SELECTING RANDOMLY. TANYA YOU SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN AND WHILE STATIONED IN CAMP PENDLETON YOU TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE. YES. HOW DID YOU COME TO THAT POINT? THERE WAS A COMBINATION OF EVENTS. A YEAR PRIOR TO THAT I HAD GOTTEN OUT OF THE VERY ABUSIVE MARRIAGE. I ALSO EXPERIENCED SEXUAL ASSAULT WITH THREE SAILORS. I WAS IN THE TREATMENT OF CARE OF A PSYCHIATRIST AND ABOUT 10 OR 11 MONTHS AND I FELT LIKE I WAS BEGGING FOR HELP. I WAS BEGGING FOR ALL OF THE HELP I COULD GET AND I WAS NOT GETTING IT. I PRETTY MUCH PACKED MY KIDS UP AS I HAVE TWO CHILDREN I SENT THEM AWAY. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HELD BUT I DID NOT WANT THEM TO BE PRESENT FOR WHATEVER WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. AFTER THEY WERE GONE I SPIRALED OUT OF CONTROL. I FELT THE GROUND BENEATH ME WAS CAVING IN AND I ATTEMPTED STUDENT -- SUICIDE I OVERDOSED ON HEROIN AND IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT I FINALLY WAS OFFERED THE HELP THAT I NEEDED. I KNOW IT IS A CLICHÉ TO SAY SUICIDE ATTEMPTS ARE CRY FOR HELP BUT WAS THAT THE CASE FOR YOU INITIALLY MY INTENT WAS NOT TO WAKE UP. IN ALL HONESTY I DID NOT PLAN ON IT BEING A CRY FOR HELP. I PLANNED ON IT BE IN THE REAL DEAL. I AM THANKFUL NOW THAT IT WAS MY CRY FOR HELP. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DID EVENTUALLY GET AROUND TO SEE CAN HELP. YOU TAKE THAT STEP. I DID YES. WHERE DID YOU GO. WHERE DID YOU END UP? FOLLOWING MY ATTEMPT I SPENT A WEEK IN THEM MENTAL WARD AND BALBOA HOSPITAL. THEN I WAS REFERRED TO A PTSD SPECIFIC TREATMENT OUTSIDE OF CAMP PENDLETON. THAT TREATMENT STATE -- SAVED MY LIFE. YOU ARE LISTENING TO KPBS MIDDAY EDITION MY GUESS ARE NEAL DORAN AND TANYA SCIORILLI . NEAL DORAN IS AT THE VA HEALTH SYSTEM AND TANYA SCIORILLI IS THE REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY VETERANS WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA SHE IS A FORMER MARINE WHO SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN. TANYA I ASKED NEIL WHAT HE THOUGHT OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THAT IN YOUR IN CASE BUT CAN YOU EXPAND ON THAT. WHY IS THE SUICIDE RATE FOR FEMALE VETERANS SO HIGH? I THINK AFTER DEALING WITH -- I TALKED TO SO MANY WOMEN WITH MY POSITION WITH THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A STAGGERING NUMBER OF SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES. I THINK THAT THAT IS IN MY PERSONAL OPINION THE NUMBER ONE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE SUICIDE RATE. ALSO IN MY EXPERIENCE FROM WHAT I FOUND IN MY OWN LIFE FROM WHEN THE -- WOMEN THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO WITH WOMEN IN THE MILITARY THE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IS SO SMALL THAT WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE TRYING TO PROVE OURSELVES AND EVERY DAY IS A CONSTANT CHALLENGE. WHEN YOU ADD THE HONDA CIVIC -- ILLNESSES FROM PTSD AND THINGS LIKE THAT IT IS ASKING FOR TROUBLE. TO DO HAVE PTSD? I DO, YES. NEAL DORAN HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND FROM WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM TONYA. I THINK SHE BRINGS A GREAT POINTS AND WHAT SHE HAS TALKS ABOUT. I THINK IT IS PRETTY REPRESENTATIVE FOR WHAT IT IS TRUE FOR A LOT OF WOMEN VETERANS. THE RATE OF MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA IS VERY HIGH. WHEN FOLKS COME TO THE VA AND WE ASK THEM WHETHER THEY HAVE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE ARE NOT WE KNOW THAT THE NUMBERS THAT WE GET FOR THAT ARE IN UNDER ESTIMATE BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY IS COMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THOSE NUMBERS SHOWED THAT 25% OF FEMALE VETERANS HAVE HAD SOME SORT OR BEEN EXPOSED TO SOME SORT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR CONSISTENT SEXUAL HARASSMENT DURING THEIR TIME IN THE MILITARY COMPARED TO 1% OF MALE VETERANS. IT IS CERTAINLY AN ENORMOUS ISSUE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF PREVENTION PROGRAMS OR MAYBE THEY ARE NOT PREVENTION PROGRAMS BUT WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMS YOU HAVE AT THE VA TO RESPOND TO THIS PROBLEM. TO THE MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA PROBLEM? TO THE GENERAL SUBJECT OF THE MENTAL STRESS THAT LEADS TO SUICIDE. FIRST OF ALL IN TERMS OF MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA EVERY VA HAS A SEXUAL TRAUMA COORDINATOR WHO IS TYPICALLY A PSYCHOLOGIST SO WE HAVE PACIFIC PSYCHOTHERAPY THE PROGRAMS FOR THAT AND EVERY VA ALSO IS A SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM AND THE NUMBER WITH SUICIDE PREVENTION COORDINATORS IN THE NUMBER OF THOSE DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE VA IN GENERAL BUT WITH THOSE FOLKS DO IS KEEP TRACK OF VETERANS WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS BEING A HIGH RISK FOR SUICIDE AND THEY HELP MANAGE THEIR CARE. THEY STAY IN TOUCH WITH THEM TO SEE HOW THEY ARE DOING SEE IF THEY ARE HAVING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE CARE THAT THEY NEED. HOW MANY VETERANS ACTUALLY COME TO THE VA. IN SAN DIEGO THIS YEAR IT WILL BE ROUGHLY 80,000 TOTAL. 80,000 TOTAL BUT AS THE PERCENTAGE OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE PROGRAMS AT THE VA. ARE PEOPLE USING THEM? OKAY SO WE KNOW FROM THE STUDY THAT INITIATED THIS CONVERSATION THAT ONLY ABOUT 20% OF THE VETERANS THAT COMMIT SUICIDE HAVE NEVER BEEN SIERRA AND AT A VA. IT IS RELATIVELY LOW PERCENTAGE. NOT EVERYBODY THAT HAS -- WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO SEIZE THE CARE. TANYA CAN'T REMEMBER IF YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU WENT TO THE VA TO GET HELP OR DID YOU GO ELSEWHERE. I JUST GOT OUT TWO WEEKS AGO SO I HAVE NOT. I'M STILL IN THE TRANSITION. TO TRY TO FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT AND REACH OUT TO ALL MY RESOURCES. YOU SAY YOU HAVE TWO CHILDREN? I DO YES. AREAS IT'S ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO ADJUST BACK TO NORMAL CIVILIAN LIFE AND MAYBE ALL THE MORE SO IF YOU HAVE TICKETS. IT IS BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I GOT ADMINISTRATIVELY SEPARATED FROM THE MARINE CORPS DID -- BECAUSE OF AFTER MY SUICIDE ATTEMPT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ADMINISTRATIVELY SEPARATED. BASICALLY THEY KICKED ME OUT WITH LESS THAN HONORABLE CONDITIONS. THEY STAMPED DRUG ABUSE ON ME BECAUSE I OVERDOSED SO NOW IT IS A STRUGGLE I'M NOT ELIGIBLE FOR EMPLOYMENT BECAUSE OF THAT IT WAS SO QUICK I DON'T HAVE A JOB LINED UP I WASN'T EXPECTING TO GET OUT OF THE MARINE CORPS UNTIL 2016. IT'S DIFFICULT. I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU HOW YOU ARE DOING. I'M DOING WELL AND THE NATIONAL VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA THIS SAN DIEGO CHAPTER IS JUST KICKING OFF. THAT IS FEELING MY FIRE. IT IS GIVING ME SOME DRIVE. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME BUT NOW MY GOAL IS TO ADVOCATE AND RAISE AWARENESS SO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN TO ANYBODY ELSE. NEIL DURRANT WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROGRAM HOW SUCCESSFUL WOULD YOU SAY THEY ARE. THEY GENERALLY ARE SUCCESSFUL. ONE OF THE FINDINGS FROM THE STUDY IS THAT THE SUICIDE RATES ARE ACTUALLY DROPPING AMONG FEMALE VETERANS WHO ARE ACCESSING MENTAL HEALTH CARE. WE CERTAINLY KNOW THAT WOMEN ARE -- FEMALE VETERANS ARE MORE LIKELY WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE THEY NEED HELP TO SEEK IT THAN MEN ARE. THE MILITARY -- THE MALE-DOMINATED MILITARY, -- CULTURE THAT YOU REFER TO BEFORE WE DO NOT WANT TO ASK FOR HELP IS AN ISSUE FOR ALL VETERANS THAT WOMEN SEEM TO BE A LITTLE MORE WILLING ONCE THEY ARE OUT OF THE MILITARY. TANYA YOU FEEL THAT THE MILITARY IS WORKING ON THIS PROBLEM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT? HAS THERE BEEN ANY PROGRESS ON THE AS FAR AS YOU CAN SEE? I KNOW FROM THE UPPER LEVELS I KNOW THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON IT. I DO THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO TRICKLE-DOWN. TO ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE JUNIOR -- AS SOON GRAMMARIANS. -- IS YOUNGER MARINES. I THINK THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE -- YOUR MIND KIND OF TURNED SYSTEM THAT AND YOUR SECOND -- STUCK IN THEIR WAYS. WE ARE COMING UP WITH NEW POLICIES ON SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HOW TO REPORTED AND ALL OF THIS -- SO MANY MILITARY MEMBERS ARE STUCK IN THEIR OWN WAYS AND WITH THE NEW. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS ORGANIZATION THAT I THINK YOU HAVE MENTIONED A FEW TIMES. LET'S SEE AGAIN IS CALLED THE SAN DIEGO CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY WOMEN'S VETERANS ASSOCIATION. YES. GOING THROUGH MY ISSUES I REACHED OUT AND FOUND THIS ORGANIZATION ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL. I HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE AND I AM SO THANKFUL I FOUND IT. THEY STAND FOR ADVOCATING AND THE HAS HELPED ADVOCATE FOR ME AND IT BECAME SUCH A PASSION THAT I DECIDED TO START THE SAN DIEGO SPECIFIC CHAPTER. THIS IS BRAND-NEW AND IN THE WORKS. LIKE I SAID MICHAEL -- I WANTED TO COME HERE BECAUSE I WANT AWARENESS FOR ALL OF THESE ISSUES. THE SUICIDE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, EVERYTHING THAT WOMEN VETERANS ARE TAKING. I WANT THEM TO BE A LITTLE REACH OUT TO ME OR REACH OUT TO SOMEBODY. I HAVE COMPILED A LOT OF RESOURCES AND WHATEVER I CAN AND THAT IS IF THE WOMEN COMES TO ME WE HAVE A COMMUNITY WE HAVE IN IT THE MILITARY BUT WE ALSO HAVE A LIST OF RESOURCES TO HELP HER WITH. THAT IS ALL I CAN ASK IF ANYONE IS LISTENING AND GOING THROUGH THAT AND REACH OUT WHETHER IT'S TO ME OR ANOTHER RESOURCE WE CAN HELP. TO THOSE LISTENING IF YOU OR SOMEBODY YOU CARE ABOUT IS IN A CRISIS THAT MAY LEAD TO SUICIDE AND THE NEED HELP CALL THE CRISIS HOTLINE AT 888 AT 888724 AT 888-724-7240 I WANT TO THANK MY GUESTS FOR JOINING ME TODAY. TANYA SCIORILLI IS THE REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ELLIJAY WOMEN'S VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA SAN DIEGO CHAPTER SHE IS AT FORMER MARINE. AND THANK YOU. AND THANKS TO DR. NEIL DURRANT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AT THE VA SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. THANK YOU TOM.