Abstract: The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH 2023)1 , reported that between 2010 and 2020, there were 68,357 suicides across the general population of the UK aged ten years and above. This amounts to an average of 6,214 suicides per year, however, 2 the latest 2021 statistics3 continues to report long-term trends. Three-quarters of suicides are attributed to males (those aged 50-54 being 4highlight concerns (post-Covid 19)) and vulnerable groups such as those experiencing job loss, debt, reduced income, bereavement, social isolation, and loneliness. Additionally, NCISH (2023) advise awareness of common risk factors (e.g., comorbid drug and alcohol misuse, living alone, self-harm, loss of contact with services) as factors for vulnerability to suicide. The national data outlined above must be considered in relation to areas of shared concerns and knowledge of changing societal trends that could have a future impact on the needs of the military and veteran community.
Whereas there are crossovers concerning risk groups, there are specific needs associated with the veteran community that require unravelling. Research commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and National Health Service England (NHSE)5 to review suicide on leaving the Armed Forces relayed findings that the risk of suicide in veterans was no more significant than the general population. However, it highlighted that suicide risk was 2 to 3 times higher in male and female veterans aged under 25 years than in the same age groups in the general population. Marriage, serving for longer periods and operational tours were associated with reduced risk of suicide. There was lower contact with specialist NHS mental health services in the 16–24-year-old age group, further impressing the need to understand issues around engagement and help-seeking in the veteran community. Viewing this with general population data raises questions about what is happening for young people and how prepared they are for military service and subsequent transitioning back to civilian life.