Suicide Risk Assessment with Combat Veterans—Part I

This chapter provides a background for understanding suicide risk assessment in combat veterans. Given that military veterans constitute a unique cultural group, the chapter provides an overview of specific experiences that are germane to military service, including deployment to combat. It first reviews general military culture, including reasons for joining the military, traditions and values within the military, and specific details associated with the personnel. The next part of the chapter focuses on military stress that can be experienced with deployment, including the activities related to leaving home, engaging in combat service, and then the experiences related to returning home. Finally, military culture is considered as a potential barrier to accessing mental health care for veterans.