RISK FACTORS FOR SUICIDE IN VETERANS

Abstract

To this day, wars continue to take place in the world, for various reasons, and leaving various consequences, such as those killed in combat, and the wounded and mutilated who, upon returning from the conflict, carry with them the physical, psychic and emotional wounds. Often without proper support, these fighters, now war veterans, seek refuge primarily in the family, in the licit and illicit drugs, in isolation, and when even this is not enough to cease suffering, as a last resort, they may end up committing suicide. Taking this scenario into account, the present study aims to understand the risk factors associated with suicide in war veterans, through an exploratory integrative bibliographic research of the literature. Relevant studies on the subject were analyzed descriptively in the PubMed database, and reliable records of epidemiological data, mainly from official sources. As an inclusion criterion, the materials collected for the research should originate in the United States. Of the 87 articles selected, most studied veterans of the Iraq/Afghanistan era, and the 5 most frequent risk factors cited in the articles were PTSD, depression, PTSD, and comorbid depression, traumatic brain injuries, and combat exposure. It was evidenced that the risk of suicide in war veterans has multifactorial characteristics, with associations between factors forming an interconnected risk network. By intervening in modifiable factors, one can mitigate its impact on suicide risk by reducing it. It is expected that this CBT will help in the scientific production of war veterans and other populations in Brazil.