Sen. Gillibrand Holds Hearing on Suicide Rates in Military

BY MONICA SANDRECZKI (NEWS HOST, REPORTER) , IN CANTON, NY

Dec 09, 2019 — The rate of death by suicide has increased about 30 percent in the last twenty years. It’s high for veterans and active military, too. On Wednesday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) convened the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel.

Five experts testified about the high rates of suicide among active duty service members and veterans.

One of them was Matthew Miller, a clinical psychologist, who served in the U.S. Air Force.

That hit Miller hard. He ended up leaving the military. But a few years ago, when issues with suicide among veterans started coming up more in the news, he says he was compelled to go back. Now, he heads up the suicide prevention program at the Department of Veterans affairs.

“In my quest to learn what I may have done wrong or what I may have missed with John, it’s become clear to me that suicide is a complex issue with no single cause,” said Miller.

View entire article: https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/40087/20191206/sen-gillibrand-holds-hearing-on-higher-suicide-rates-among-veterans-active-duty-military