El Paso Standard

A federal report has found that veterans are dying by suicide at an increased rate since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

KFOX14 reports that although the number of veterans experiencing homelessness has declined, there is still a concern that number could go back up because of the pandemic. Experts are also extremely concerned about the suicide rate for veterans during COVID-19.

“Generally speaking, the emotions are heightened because of the pandemic. Unfortunately, in some cases, we have seen lives lost,” Jeanette James, clinic director at the Stephen A. Cohen Family Clinic in east El Paso, told KFOX14.

The Department of Veterans Affairs released a report last week regarding the deaths by suicide. The annual report was released a month later than usual, KFOX14 reported.

James said the report also found that there has been an increase in veteran suicides in 2018 compared to the previous year. The rate of suicide in 2018 for veterans was 17.6 suicides per day.

James told KFOX14 that they have noticed a decrease in the number of people seeking services since the pandemic began. She said she was worried there will be an even bigger increase in mental distress and self-harm among veterans in the future.

“We are being asked to do something which typically, in the mental health field, we see as a red sign, as a warning sign,” James said, KFOX14 reported.

The report is conducted every year to gauge the suicide rate for veterans by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. It reported that of the 46,510 American adults who died by suicide in 2018, 6,435 were U.S. veterans. The annual report has analyzed and reviewed data each year since 2005.