Killing in war, suicidal thoughts linked

Among Vietnam War veterans, thoughts of suicide increased sharply relative to the experience of killing during combat, according to a new study.

Research conducted by the San Francisco VA Medical Center and UC San Francisco found veterans with more experience with killing during war were twice as likely to report suicidal thoughts compared to veterans with little or no such experience, according to a UCSF press release. Researchers made a distinction between four variables—killing enemy soldiers, killing prisoners, killing civilians and killing or injuring children, women or the elderly—and produced a combined measure. The higher the “score,” the more likely the veteran had contemplated suicide.

The study’s authors adjusted for factors like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and substance abuse. In 2009, the U.S. Army’s suicide rate was 21.8 per 100,000 soldiers, a rate exceeding that of civilians.