The rate of suicide among women who have served in the military is triple that of their civilian counterparts. Why is this?

Despite having been to war for the last 10 years, U.S service women still face widespread ignorance about the sacrifices they’ve made overseas. In Iraq and Afghanistan, 148 military women have died, and thousands more have returned home with post-traumatic stress and other emotional and physical wounds. As patients, women still face shortages in basic health care and grossly insufficient cultural competency at Veterans Affairs medical centers, where health providers still largely cater to the needs of men.

Preventing suicide among veterans requires a frank conversation about discrimination, harassment and assault.

As veterans, women face unique reintegration challenges, including higher rates of unemployment and homelessness and lower levels of income. Women are often expected to be the primary caretakers for spouses, children and aging family members, meaning that they have less time and space to take care of themselves.

One further reason we lose veterans to suicide is military sexual assault. Over 19,000 sexual assaults were committed against service women and men last year alone. Military sexual assault does not elicit the same outpouring of support as the […]