Mental health treatment utilization among U.S. military veterans with suicidal ideation: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Background: Despite advances in the treatment of suicidality over the last decade, a significant proportion of veterans with suicidal ideation do not utilize mental health treatment. To date, however, few population-based studies have examined factors that may facilitate or impede mental healthcare engagement among veterans currently contemplating suicide. This study examined barriers and facilitators of current mental healthcare utilization in a nationally representative sample of U.S. military veterans who endorsed current suicidal ideation.

Methods: Using data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (n = 3157), collected in 2011, multivariable analyses were conducted to identify predisposing (e.g., age), enabling (e.g., social support), and need (e.g., psychiatric history) characteristics, as well as perceptions of stigma and barriers to care, associated with current mental healthcare utilization.

Results: A total of 7.3% (n = 231) of veterans endorsed current suicidal ideation, of which 36.1% (n = 84) were engaged in current mental health treatment. Younger age, female sex, current depression, lifetime suicide attempt(s), and number of lifetime traumas and medical problems were associated with treatment utilization. Mistrust of mental health providers and fear of treatment harming one's reputation were associated with lower likelihood of treatment engagement, over and above the effects of these predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics.

Discussion: More than 3 of 5 U.S. veterans endorsing current suicidal ideation are not engaged in mental health treatment. Results underscore the importance of multi-modal suicide prevention and treatment engagement efforts that target need-based factors, and perceptions of stigma and negative beliefs about mental healthcare in this population.