ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the difficult topic of suicide. In terms of the Military, an average of 20 veterans a day committed suicide in 2014, a trend that reflects record high rates among young men fresh out of the military and among growing numbers of women taking their own lives. The Veterans' Administration (VA) found the worst suicide pattern among male veterans aged 18 to 29. Family breakups, depression, repeated deployments in a war zone, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were designated as major causal factors for active duty and retired military personnel. There are many good suicide risk-assessment tools online which are offered by governmental and mental health associations such as the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction and the American Psychological Association. Art therapists see indicators of depression and suicidal wishes in artwork in indirect, subtle, or overt ways.
