More than half of members of a veterans' group for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan know a post-9/11 vet who has committed suicide, a new poll shows.

In the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America annual survey of its members, 58 percent said they know a fellow vet who took their own life, nearly two-thirds said they know someone who attempted suicide, and more than one-third have had suicidal thoughts, Military Times reported.

The numbers of suicides and attempted suicides have increased about 18 percent since the group's 2014 membership survey, IAVA research director Jackie Maffucci told the outlet, calling it "a dire situation."

"The trend lines are going up, which clearly indicates how much work we have to do in this area," she told Military Times.

About 20 veterans each day nationwide commit suicide, Military Times reported, citing Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, and VA Secretary David Shulkin has called the issue his top clinical priority.

In other findings: