Psychological Distress and Suicidal Thoughts Among U.S. Veterans
Data VizPublished Nov 5, 2025
RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute
Psychological Distress and Suicidal Thoughts Among U.S. Veterans
All Veterans
- 8.7% of veterans report past-year serious psychological distress.
- 3.6% of veterans report past-year suicidal thoughts.
Age Differences
Younger veterans have the highest rates of psychological distress and suicidal thoughts.
| Psychological distress | Suicidal thoughts | |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 20.7% | 10.1% |
| 35-49 | 19.6% | 6.2% |
| 50-64 | 9.5% | 3.9% |
| 65+ | 2.8% | 1.5% |
Race/Ethnicity Differences
Black, Hispanic/Latino, and multiracial veterans have higher rates of distress and suicidal thoughts than White veterans.
| Psychological distress | Suicidal thoughts | |
|---|---|---|
| White | 7.9% | 3.3% |
| Black | 9.8% | 4.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 11.2% | 4.2% |
| Multiracial/other race | 14.7% | 5.0% |
Sexual Identity Differences
Female veterans have twice the rate of psychological distress as male veterans and higher rates of suicidal thoughts.
| Psychological distress | Suicidal thoughts | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 7.8% | 3.5% |
| Female | 16.0% | 4.1% |
Sex Differences
Bisexual veterans have the highest rates of psychological distress and suicidal thoughts, followed by gay/lesbian veterans.
| Psychological distress | Suicidal thoughts | |
|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual | 8.4% | 3.4% |
| Gay/lesbian | 9.6% | 8.2% |
| Bisexual | 20.2% | 8.5% |
SOURCE: Features information from National Survey on Drug Use and Health, pooled 2021-2023 data.
This infographic describes work done in RAND Education and Labor and documented in A Summary of Veteran-Related Statistics: Second Edition, by Megan S. Schuler, Aimee Bower, Carrie M. Farmer, Jessica Phillips, and Rajeev Ramchand, RR-A1363-5-v2, 2025 (available at www.rand.org/t/RRA1363-5-v2). To view this infographic online, visit www.rand.org/t/IGA1363-1-v2. This infographic is an update to a prior RAND infographic (IG-A1363-1) to reflect more-recent national data.
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IG-A1363-1-v2
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Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Web-Only
- Year: 2025
- Pages: 1
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/IGA1363-1-v2
- Document Number: IG-A1363-1-v2
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Schuler, Megan S., Aimee Bower, Carrie M. Farmer, Jessica Phillips, and Rajeev Ramchand, Psychological Distress and Suicidal Thoughts Among U.S. Veterans, RAND Corporation, IG-A1363-1-v2, 2025. As of May 5, 2026: https://www.rand.org/pubs/infographics/IGA1363-1-v2.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Schuler, Megan S., Aimee Bower, Carrie M. Farmer, Jessica Phillips, and Rajeev Ramchand, Psychological Distress and Suicidal Thoughts Among U.S. Veterans. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/infographics/IGA1363-1-v2.html.
Funding for this publication was made possible by a generous gift from Daniel J. Epstein through the Epstein Family Foundation. The research was conducted by the RAND Epstein Family Veterans Policy Research Institute within RAND Education, Employment, and Infrastructure.
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Version Note
This publication supersedes a previous version published in 2023 (IG-A1363-1).