CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released a data sheet from 2016 that details the suicide rate of veterans in Tennessee, compared to the veteran suicide rates in the southern region and the nation; as well as the general suicide rates in Tennessee, the southern region, and the nation.
There was a total of 156 veteran suicides in the state of Tennessee in 2016. Broken up by age range, the numbers are as follows:
- 18-34: 26
- 35-54: 38
- 55-74: 66
- 75+: 26
By comparison, there were 2,611 veteran suicides in the southern region, and 6,079 in the nation.
Further, it was found that there was a total of 1,070 general suicides in Tennessee, 17,011 in the southern region, and 43,427 in the nation.
There was a veteran suicide rate (based on per 100,000 people) of 32.8 in Tennessee, 30.6 in the southern region, and 30.1 in the nation. This indicates that veteran suicide rate in Tennessee was not significantly different from the national veteran suicide rate.
Despite that conclusion, it was also found that the Tennessee veteran suicide rate of 32.8 was significantly higher than the general national suicide rate, which was found to be 17.5. The general suicide rate for the southern region was found to be 18.2.
You can view the data sheet in its entirety here.
If you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran, and you struggle with depression, there are resources available to help you. If you are in the Clarksville area, one such resource is Soldiers and Families Embraced, or SAFE. SAFE is an organization dedicated to counseling and helping veterans and veterans’ families. For more information on SAFE, you can read about some of their methodologies and processes. You can also listen to a Clarksville’s Conversation interview with the executive director of SAFE, Lantz Smith.