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1 in 4 FL Suicides Are Veterans

About 25 percent of people who commit suicide in Florida are military veterans, even though they account for just 8 percent of the population, the Florida Times-Union reports.

The deputy director of suicide prevention at the VA says they’re still trying to figure out why the rate is so much higher than in other states.

While the suicide rate for veterans in their 50s and 60s has declined, suicide among younger veterans increased by 44 percent  from 2009 to 2011, the Times-Union reports. 
 

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.