Texas Tech Psychology Chairman to Address Military Suicide For Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

David Rudd, chairman of the Department of Psychology at Texas Tech University, will testify to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs during a hearing titled "Oversight Hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs Suicide Prevention Hotline." The meeting will start at 11 a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 16) in room 340 of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The hearing comes after an April 21 news report on the CBS Evening News called "VA Hid Suicide Risk, Internal Emails Show." The committee will seek to examine the prevalence of veterans' suicides and the Department of Veterans Affairs' actions concerning those suicides. Rudd, a former Army psychologist, will testify to his findings on suicide in general as well as his experience and research into suicide among veterans and active members of the military. "I've commented quite a bit on military suicides in terms of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," Rudd said. "There were some pretty significant increases, with suicides doubling and army suicide attempt rates increasing five-fold since the start of the Iraq War." Rudd can discuss veteran and military suicides prior to the event by cell phone or e-mail. Access a live Webcast of the hearings by clicking on the left-hand button at http://veterans.house.gov/news/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=173. CONTACT: David Rudd, chairman, Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, (806) 786-0680, or david.rudd@ttu.edu