International review of psychiatry
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This was a retrospective cohort study linking provincial administrative databases to compare rates of non-fatal self-harm between CAF and RCMP veterans living in Ontario and age-matched civilians. This study included male veterans who registered for provincial health insurance between 2002 and 2013. A civilian comparator group was matched 4:1 on age and sex. ⋯ The rate of ED self-harm visits was 40% lower in the veteran population, compared to the civilian population (RR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.41-0.87). In both groups, psychosocial and physical comorbidities, and death by suicide were more common in those who self-harmed than those who did not. A better understanding of why veterans have a lower rate of self-harm emergency department visits and how it is related to the number of completed suicides is an important area for future consideration.