September is suicide prevention month, a time to bring greater attention to an issue that affects individuals, families, and communities across the country. For the Veteran community, however, prevention cannot be limited to one month or one awareness campaign.
It starts with connection.
A phone call. A conversation without judgment. Recognizing that someone has stopped showing up. Helping a Veteran find professional support before a difficult period becomes a crisis.
For suicide prevention awareness month, Just4Veterans Foundation wants to help Veterans, families, friends, caregivers, and communities better understand the issue and, most importantly, know what they can do when someone may need support.
If you are a Veteran in crisis, or you are concerned about one, call 988 and Press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. You can also text 838255 or use the confidential online chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net. Support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and Veterans do not need to be enrolled in VA benefits or VA health care to use the service.
Understanding the Scope of Veteran Suicide
The numbers deserve attention, but every number represents a person: a Veteran, a parent, a spouse, a friend, a former teammate, or someone who was part of a community.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 6,398 Veterans died by suicide in 2023, the most recent year for which complete national data were available. The overall rate among Veterans was 35.2 deaths per 100,000 in that year.
There is another important finding in the report: only 39% of Veterans who died by suicide in 2023 had received Veterans Health Administration care during that year or the previous year. In other words, prevention cannot happen only inside clinics and VA facilities. Families, Veteran organizations, employers, friends, health providers, and communities can all have a role in connecting people with support.
That community approach is one reason national suicide prevention awareness month matters. Awareness alone cannot solve the problem, but greater understanding can help people recognize when a Veteran may be struggling and make it easier to begin conversations that are sometimes difficult to start.
Why Veterans May Face Increased Risk
There is no single reason a person becomes suicidal, and we should be careful not to reduce the experiences of Veterans to one diagnosis, deployment, or event.
The VA identifies a wide range of factors that can contribute to risk, including mental health concerns, substance misuse, financial strain, housing difficulties, social isolation, relationship problems, health challenges, chronic pain, and difficulty sleeping. Protective factors such as social connection, coping skills, access to care, and overall well-being can also matter.
The VA’s review of deaths from 2021 through 2023, for example, identified documented pain issues in 52.3% of cases reviewed and sleep problems in 51.5%. Other documented circumstances included worsening health, declining physical ability, relationship difficulties, hopelessness, and financial loss. These statistics describe patterns among cases reviewed; they should not be interpreted as proof that any one of these circumstances causes suicide.
This is an important distinction when talking about suicide and veterans. Military service is not itself an explanation for suicidal behavior, and Veterans are not a single, uniform population. Each person’s experiences, circumstances, health, relationships, and support system are different.
What About PTSD and Suicide Risk?
Questions about suicide rates of veterans with PTSD are common, but the relationship is more complicated than a single statistic can explain.
The VA’s National Center for PTSD states that PTSD may increase suicide risk because of symptoms themselves, their effect on daily life, or other conditions that can occur alongside PTSD, such as depression or substance use. Research examining combat exposure specifically has produced mixed findings, which is another reason it is important not to assume that, PTSD or combat experience inevitably leads to suicidal behavior.
A Veteran also does not need to have PTSD or any diagnosed mental health condition to experience a crisis. Financial problems, chronic pain, relationship difficulties, legal issues, sleep problems, health changes, isolation, and other major life stressors may contribute to periods of increased vulnerability.
Recognizing Possible Warning Signs
Awareness becomes more useful when people know what changes deserve attention.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, warning signs can include talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless or trapped, expressing intense guilt or shame, or believing that one is a burden to others. Behavioral changes may include withdrawing from friends and family, giving away important possessions, saying goodbye, engaging in unusually dangerous behavior, experiencing significant mood changes, sleeping or eating much more or less than usual, or increasing alcohol or drug use.
One sign alone does not necessarily mean someone is suicidal. Context matters. But a new behavior, a major change from someone’s usual personality, or several warning signs appearing together should not be ignored.
During suicide awareness prevention month, learning those warning signs is one practical action communities can take. Knowing them is especially important when a Veteran has recently experienced a major loss, relationship breakdown, health problems, housing instability, financial difficulty, or another significant life change.
How to Start the Conversation
Many people hesitate because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing.
You do not need a perfect opening. You could begin with:
- “You haven’t seemed like yourself lately. How are you doing?”
- “I’ve noticed you’ve been pulling away. I’m here if you want to talk.”
- “You’ve been dealing with a lot. How are you holding up?”
- “I’m concerned about you, and I want to make sure you’re okay.”
Then listen. Try not to immediately solve the problem, compare their experience with someone else’s, minimize what they are feeling, or tell them what they should be grateful for.
Sometimes support begins with allowing someone to speak without needing to defend or explain what they are feeling.
It Is Okay to Ask Directly About Suicide
If you are seriously concerned, asking clearly about suicidal thoughts does not put the idea into someone’s mind.
The National Institute of Mental Health states that research has shown that asking about suicidal thoughts and behaviors does not cause or increase them. A direct question can help identify someone who may need immediate support.
You might say:
“Are you thinking about suicide?”
If the answer is yes, take it seriously.
Stay with the person when it is safe to do so, listen without judgment, and help connect them with trained crisis support. If there is an immediate danger to life or safety, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Veterans can also go directly to a VA medical center for emergency mental health care; VA states that enrollment status and discharge status do not prevent a Veteran from seeking emergency suicide care at a VA facility.
Helping Create a Safer Environment During a Crisis
One important area that is sometimes missing from conversations about suicide prevention for veterans is reducing access to potentially lethal means during periods of crisis.
This is not about judgment or permanently taking someone’s independence away.
The concept, often called lethal means safety, is about creating additional time and distance between a person experiencing an acute suicidal crisis and something that could be used to cause serious harm.
VA guidance includes secure storage of firearms and medications as part of a comprehensive prevention strategy. Its 2025 annual report found that firearms were involved in 73.3% of Veteran suicide deaths in 2023.
The VA describes lethal means safety as a voluntary practice intended to reduce risk by limiting immediate access during vulnerable periods.
Families concerned about someone should consider discussing safety planning with a qualified health professional rather than trying to manage a high-risk situation alone.
A Safety Plan Can Help Before a Crisis Happens
Support does not have to begin after someone reaches a breaking point.
A safety plan can help a Veteran identify:
- Personal warning signs that a crisis may be developing
- Coping strategies that have helped in the past
- People and places that provide healthy distraction or connection
- Trusted individuals who can provide support
- Professionals and crisis resources to contact
- Trusted individuals who can provide support
- Professionals and crisis resources to contact
- Steps for making the environment safer
VA encourages Veterans who may be at risk to develop a safety plan with a health care professional or through the VA Safety Plan App and, when appropriate, share that plan with trusted people in their support network.
A plan prepared during a more stable period can make important decisions easier when emotions and stress become overwhelming.
Prevention Is More Than Crisis Intervention
Effective veteran suicide prevention programs do more than respond when a person is already in immediate danger.
The VA describes prevention as a public-health effort involving several levels: promoting overall well-being, identifying risk earlier, responding during crises, coordinating health care and community services, strengthening protective factors, and improving access to support involving areas such as housing, employment, finances, relationships, and health.
That broader perspective is important. Sometimes supporting a Veteran means helping them connect with a mental health professional. At other times, it may mean helping someone understand benefits, finding housing resources, addressing financial instability, maintaining social connections, managing chronic health concerns, or simply knowing where to begin.
The problem in front of the person may not always look like a mental health issue.
That does not make the support any less important.
What Families, Friends, and Communities Can Do
You do not have to become someone’s therapist to become part of their support system.
Check in regularly, not only when something appears wrong.
Invite Veterans into community activities without making them feel singled out. Continue reaching out when someone becomes withdrawn. Learn what resources are available locally. Encourage professional support when needed.
Most importantly, treat conversations about mental health with the same respect you would give conversations about physical health.
For organizations serving Veterans, save veterans should be more than a slogan or seasonal message. Prevention requires sustained efforts to connect people with reliable information, community resources, benefits, health care, and human support throughout the year.
The VA’s public-health approach similarly emphasizes that preventing suicide extends beyond health care providers to families, friends, employers, community organizations, faith leaders, and others who interact with Veterans in everyday life.
Support Is Available (Before, During, and After a Crisis)
The goal of veteran suicide prevention is not to expect friends or family members to recognize every possible risk factor or handle a crisis by themselves.
It is to make connections easier. It is to know where help exists. It is to take concerning changes seriously.
And it is to remind Veterans that reaching out does not have to wait until the situation becomes unbearable.
For immediate, confidential crisis assistance:
Veterans Crisis Line
Call 988, then Press 1
Text 838255
Chat online through VeteransCrisisLine.net
Available 24/7
Veterans do not need to be enrolled in VA health care or benefits to contact the line.
If there is an immediate threat to someone’s life or safety, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Supporting Veterans Is a Year-Round Responsibility
September gives communities an opportunity to talk more openly about prevention, but national awareness should lead to year-round action.
For Just4Veterans Foundation, suicide prevention month and the conversations surrounding it—ultimately point toward something larger: making sure Veterans and their families know they do not have to navigate difficult circumstances alone.
We can listen. We can notice. We can check in.
We can help connect someone with professional support.
And we can continue building communities where asking for help is treated as an appropriate response to a difficult moment, not something that needs to be hidden.
At Just4Veterans Foundation, our mission is centered on Veterans supporting Veterans providing education, connecting Veterans with reliable resources and partners, and helping Veterans and their families find the support they have earned.
Sometimes the first step is simply making sure someone knows where to turn.
Be Part of the Mission
Supporting Veterans can take many forms, from checking in on someone you know to helping organizations continue their work in Veteran communities.
If you believe in creating stronger support systems for those who served, you can donate to veterans through Just4Veterans Foundation and help us continue building resources, connections, and opportunities that support Veterans and their families.
Your support can help move the mission forward. Give today and stand with Veterans, their families, and the communities that support them.