Suicide Among Veterans and the Implications for Counselors

Although the majority of service members and their families are able to transition from deployment to reintegration without overwhelming distress, studies show that deployment can have significant negative and long-lasting consequences. Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) deployments are at risk for anxiety, depression, and post- traumatic stress disorder. Spouses and children also report social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. For some veterans, mental and physical problems, tension among family relations, and challenges with work, finances, and substance use end in suicidal ideation or death. This manuscript provides an overview of the negative outcomes reported by veterans of OEF/OIF/OND deployments, mental health risks of family members, the increased occurrence of suicide among the Veteran population, and the implications of these deployment consequences for counselors.