After joining the U.S. Air Force, Naomi Mathis saw a staff sergeant die by an accidental detonation of unexploded ordnance in Iraq. That tragedy along with other traumas Mathis experienced during active duty caused her to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.
"I want people to realize that you can turn any situation around," Mathis said in a report about a new study by the nonprofit organization, Disabled American Veterans. "It's not the end, no matter how hopeless it feels."
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Mathis was able to receive treatment through the health care program for active duty service members, but many women who are veterans are not as lucky. According to the Disabled American Veterans report, female veterans are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide than male veterans.
Disabled American Veterans, which provides health care, education, employment and other support services to veterans and their families, just released the results of a comprehensive assessment of the complex factors that contribute to the high suicide rate among female veterans.
The suicide rate among women who served in the military rose by 24.1% between 2020 and 2021, nearly four times higher than the 6.3% increase among male veterans and greater than the 2.6% increase among non-veteran women.
Contributing to these statistics are are issues like military sexual trauma, intimate partner violence, substance use disorders, pregnancy and menopause, the study found.
One in three women enrolled in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits reported military sexual trauma, while nearly one in five female veterans using VA primary care reported experiencing intimate partner violence in the past year. The study also indicated that the "risk of suicide death among women who are veterans with active substance use disorder is more than twice what it is for men."
During pregnancy and up to one year postpartum, women with a prior mental health diagnosis are at an increased risk for a mental health diagnosis and suicide; menopause "corresponds to the highest rates of suicide among U.S. women," the report listed as particular challenges facing women who are veterans.
In addition, the study found gaps in mental health care for women who served in the military. For instance, one in four female veterans lives in rural areas where it is significantly more difficult to access health care, and only about 13 residential rehabilitation centers across the country provide "gender exclusive care and services," according to the VA.
The report also uncovered evidence of a "significant number of false negative screens" for military sexual trauma.
Disabled American Veterans made more than 50 recommendations for the VA to follow "intended to spark necessary and urgent change that can save lives," including the following:
• Ensure veterans are effectively screened or re-screened for military sexual trauma
• Revise its model for predicting suicidality to incorporate risk factors weighted for female veterans
• Assess the need to increase gender-specific programming in residential rehabilitation programs
• Develop solutions to bridge gaps in mental health care services in rural communities
• Require that providers in the VA Community Care Network be trained in suicide prevention
• Encourage research into the relationship between menopause and suicide
• Similar to 988 for veterans in crisis, create a three-digit number, with a veteran option, for the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233).
If you are a military veteran and experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, please call the confidential Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988, then press 1; or text 838255.