Mental Health
Authors’ Response to “Veterans and the National Tragedy of Suicide”
We appreciate the comments of Drs. Lutwak and Dill on our research article, “Non-routine Discharge From Military Service: Mental Illness, Substance Use Disorders, and Suicidality,”1 highlighting the risk of adverse outcomes and re-integration challenges among those discharged from military service under non-routine conditions.Non-routine Discharge From Military Service: Mental Illness, Substance Use Disorders, and Suicidality
Mental illness and substance use disorders among newly returned military service members pose challenges to successful reintegration into civilian life and, in extreme cases, may lead to outcomes such as incarceration, homelessness, and suicide. One potential early indicator for these difficulties is non-routine discharge from military service.
