Since 2001, the suicide rate among women veterans has risen dramatically — a trend that mirrors both the growing number of women serving in the military and the era of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As part of Scripps News’ continuing coverage of the long-term impact of those conflicts, we spoke with two women who deployed to those war zones. They understand the unique challenges facing female veterans — and are now working to help others navigate the struggle.
In her Minnesota office, U.S. Army veteran Brittany Sievers keeps a piece of her service close by. A framed shadow box holds a collection of military challenge coins — a daily reminder of her decade in uniform.
Sievers made history as the first female soldier to integrate into the Green Beret Combined Leadership Training and the first woman in Army history to complete the Special Forces Iron Man race.
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"I've never rocked so hard in my life, but I learned so much about resiliency," Sievers said.
In 2010, before her first of two deployments to Iraq, she set a timetable for herself: four more years of service followed by a transition out of the military. Though Sievers adhered to that plan, leaving was difficult.
"It was hard to leave because my guys were going, right?" Sievers said, pausing as she recalled her emotions. "It's hard knowing that I felt like I was betraying them, because it felt like I was sending them there without my support."
Several men in her unit later died by suicide. Sievers did not leave her service unscathed, either. Upon entering the VA healthcare system, she was diagnosed with PTSD. She eventually joined America's Warrior Partnership, a nonprofit organization, to help fellow veterans navigate life after service.
"The VA did what they were supposed to do to treat. I went to counseling. I was prescribed medication and following those steps was fine for the time being, but I think what ultimately helped was just time," Sievers said.
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However, not every female veteran has been as fortunate — some have paid the ultimate price.
According to the most recent data obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs by Scripps News, the suicide rate among female veterans who sought VA care rose 24% from 2001 to 2022, the most recent year with available data. The VA released the figures in a 2024 report.
Among female veterans who did not seek VA care, the increase was more than 55%. Overall, the suicide rate among female veterans is more than 90% higher than that of U.S. women who are not veterans.
"Suicide for the veteran community is a real epidemic," said Kate Migliaro, chairwoman of America's Warrior Partnership. "But I think specific to the female community, what we're seeing is a louder voice reaching out for help, particularly in the last two decades."
Migliaro, a West Point graduate who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, experienced personal loss when her brother-in-law, who also served, died by suicide. Now, as chairwoman of America's Warrior Partnership, she works to address veteran suicides. The organization aims to fill any gaps in assistance that the VA may miss and offers additional support. It is also focused on ensuring medical examiners accurately account for female veterans who die by suicide, but whose service may not be properly recorded in state medical examiner records.
"We started a study called Operation Deep Dive, which takes state death certificate data and then looks at DoD data to understand our service members, their background, demographics, socioeconomic status," Migliaro said. "And it's not surprising that female veterans are undercounted compared to their male counterparts — because people don't think to ask, 'Did this female who prematurely took their life, did they serve?'"
The study is ongoing, as is the organization's effort to reach female veterans who need help.
Meanwhile, Sievers emphasizes that help is available.
"I think all trauma takes time to heal," she said. "So I think my distance from service and filling my time and my life with new friendships, new activities, family, a husband, children, things like that, and the time since my service has healed those wounds."
The wounds are often invisible, but they can cut just as deep for those who served.
Data on female veteran suicides, and veteran suicides in general, often lags behind. The most recent figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs only go through 2022.
During that time, the creation of 988 — a simplified, three-digit number now used for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — emerged. The impact of the number on the veteran suicide rate remains unclear, though there was a 24% decline in female suicides between 2021 and 2022, the latter year being when 988 launched.
It’s also worth noting that recent layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services — which operates the 988 suicide and crisis hotline — have impacted some suicide prevention teams.
However, the Department of Veterans Affairs told Scripps News that its Veterans Crisis Line is not affected, as it is exempt from federal layoffs.
"The Veterans Crisis Line is operated by VA and is a separate crisis line that uses the 988 infrastructure to receive calls," said Dr. Matthew Miller, the director of the Suicide Prevention Program in the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention at the VA, said to Scripps News in a statement.
More information about the Veterans Crisis Line and the 988 Lifeline can be found here.
Editor's Note: If you're a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, the VA says you can contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. To reach responders, Dial 988, then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.
