Reports show a military spouse commits suicide every 8 days

Please read that again.

We lose a military spouse by suicide every eight days. This is unconscionable.

Today’s military spouses are not the stereotypical post-World War II spouses shaped and modeled by generations of spouses of yesteryear (traditionally female spouses from that time period) operating with societal expectations with a stern focus on reproducing, raising children, and domesticity in the home.

Also Read: The most famous ‘war brides’ and how they served their country behind the scenes

Military spouses are anything and everything—except vanilla. While a ton of present-day military spouses enjoy contributing to the growth and development of their service members’ careers through their active support, a large percentage of these same military spouses have careers of their own and straddle military and civilian worlds the very best they can while managing the homefront along with everyone they care about.

Mighty MilSpouse is dedicated to providing our military-connected community, especially military spouses, with the very best information, resources, and journalism intended for overall well-being. Military spouse suicide is a very real issue that we will not shy away from covering because it’s hard.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Because military spouse suicide has become so prevalent in our community, this is precisely why Mighty MilSpouse will continue to raise awareness, educate, and provide action-based support.

The weight is heavy; please allow your community to carry it with you.

Collecting Military Spouse Suicide Data

Here’s the backstory.

Military dependent suicide data was first made available in 2017, sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics National Death Index. The NDI is a database of death record information compiled from state offices.

In Section 567. (B) of the “Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘Buck’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015” (Public Law 113–291), states that “any death that is reported as a suicide involving a dependent of a member of the Armed Forces” is required to be collected by the Department of Defense:

“567. Improved consistency in data collection and reporting in Armed Forces suicide prevention efforts (a) Policy for standard suicide data collection, reporting, and assessment (1) Policy required: The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe a policy for the development of a standard method for collecting, reporting, and assessing information regarding—(A) any suicide or attempted suicide involving a member of the Armed Forces, including reserve components thereof; and (B) any death that is reported as a suicide involving a dependent of a member of the Armed Forces.”

A “military family member,” also referred to as a “dependent of a member of the Armed Forces” above, is limited to spouses and dependent children (minor and non-minor) who are eligible to receive military benefits under Title 10 U.S. Code, where spouses and dependent children are registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).

Providing background information on why, where, and when the data collection originated is a major first step in measurement for our military-connected community, given that we are such a close-knit subgroup of the American population.

Identifying needs, highlighting challenges, and demanding attention to crises move awareness to action.

Spouse Suicide Demands Awareness

We lost 98 military spouses by suicide according to the Department of Defense Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness’ “2023 Annual Report on Suicide in the Military.” This was higher than in 2022, when 93 military spouses were reported.

Another notable finding in the 2023 report was the demographics of Military Spouse suicide. Counts and percentages reported in 2022 show that 47.3% were male and 52.7% were female, with the under-40 age group accounting for 78.5% and the over-40 age group accounting for 21.5%.

Now that we’ve identified that there is certainly a problem among spouses, we have to address it. So, what can we do to support military spouses in their deepest, darkest mindset?

Our collective military-connected community around the globe needs to acknowledge Military Spouse Suicide Awareness as a priority and put in the work to combat it.

If you or someone you know has experienced suicidal ideation, including active or passive thoughts, please know that your feelings of pain are very real. What is also real is that those same feelings will pass.

You can talk to someone you trust. Please share the weight and allow others to shoulder or carry the weight with you. But if it’s too heavy, we beg you to reach out for help from organizations committed to your well-being.

Suicide Prevention Resources for Military Spouses:

We Are The Mighty and the Mighty MilSpouse team will continue to elevate the issue of military spouse suicide. We will not stop raising awareness, educating, and providing action-based support to support our military spouses in their darkest hour.