Military suicide prevention efforts fall short despite increased funding

• Despite an estimated $571 million allocated for suicide prevention in fiscal year 2024, 17 veterans and service members die by suicide each day. More funding has been requested by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the current fiscal year.
• More than 156,000 service members and veterans have taken their own lives in the past 20 years.
• Dr. Kari Thyne and Dr. John Edgar Caterson helped to explain better why the crisis continues to worsen, despite increased funding and awareness.

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The Grunt Style Foundation, a veteran’s advocacy group, has highlighted a discrepancy in suicide prevention efforts among active duty military members and veterans. According to a press release from the foundation, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) received an estimated $571 million for suicide prevention in fiscal year 2024, and requested even more funding for the current fiscal year.

Marine Corps veteran and foundation President Tim Jensen addressed the issue, stating, “Every day, we lose 17 of our brothers and sisters to suicide. That is not just a statistic; those are our friends, our battle buddies, our family members. The VA’s current budget allocates approximately $570 million specifically for suicide prevention initiatives, yet the crisis continues to worsen.”

Even with millions spent, over 156,000 service members and veterans have taken their own lives in the past 20 years.

Speaking to Dr. Thyne and Dr. Caterson

To better understand why this continues to happen, Weapons and Warfare host Ryan Robertson sat down with Dr. Kari Thyne, an Air Force veteran and associate professor of interdisciplinary studies at Joint Special Operations University, and Dr. John Edgar Caterson, a faculty master instructor at the same institution, in November.

First, Caterson explained the steady increase in active duty suicides over the last decade, despite efforts to counteract it. He likened the situation to compound interest, noting that the cumulative impact of the 20-year global war on terrorism has caught up with service members. Traditional approaches to combating military suicide have not had the desired impact.

What is a moral injury?

Thyne then discussed moral injury, which affects not only special operators but service members from all branches.

“What the research is showing is that moral injury can be caused by a variety of things, like you’ve said, witnessing things,” Thyne said. “It’s not just in in the doing of things. It’s witnessing others violate their moral values, beliefs and principles. So the number one cause of moral injury is actually witnessing the moral failure of leaders.”

She emphasized the importance of leaders being aware that their actions are constantly being watched. Thyne stressed that those actions can significantly impact those around them.

The stigma associated with seeking mental health help and asking for assistance remains a significant barrier. The annual report showed that a large number of individuals who committed suicide had sought some form of mental health care within a year or 90 days of their death.

How is a moral injury different from post-traumatic stress disorder?

Caterson highlighted the distinction between PTSD and moral injury, noting that PTSD is based on fear and adrenaline, while moral injury is based on morals and ethics. Moral injury can be a precursor to suicide, but PTSD can also result from moral injuries.

“PTSD is really kind of like a traumatic threat to a personal well-being,” Caterson said. “Moral injury is a traumatic violation of personal values, right? So, and this is going to nuance itself as you move towards suicide ideation, PTSD is based on fear and adrenaline, versus moral injury, based on morals and ethics. And you’re looking at physical or psychological wounds for PTSD versus really an invisible or a soul wound; even some would say a spiritual wound is what moral injury is. And moral injury can be a precursor to suicide, but PTSD can result from moral injuries.”

Thyne shared her experience with the military’s efforts to prevent suicide, such as the distribution of yellow cards listing warning signs. She noted that these efforts were not always effective, as they relied on close observation of individuals’ behavior.

She stressed the importance of recognizing expressions of anger, guilt and shame, along with personal disgust, as indicators that someone may be at risk of suicide.

What’s next in their research?

Both of the doctors are involved in ongoing research and initiatives to address moral injury and suicide prevention. They hope to release two works, “The Invisible Enemy” and “The Invisibility Cloak,” which will provide further insights into moral injury typology and treatment.

The doctors emphasized the need for a coalition of the willing to tackle the problem of military suicides. They believe that, while the issue may not be entirely solvable, significant improvements can be made.

For those struggling with moral injury or mental health issues, resources are available. They include:

• Veterans Crisis Line
• VA.gov
• National Center for PTSD

The full conversation with Dr. Thyne and Dr. Caterson can be found on the Weapons and Warfare YouTube channel.

Access the full Weapons and Warfare episode here.

Access all Weapons and Warfare podcast episodes here.