Army suicide rate could pass rate for general population this year
 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/09/09...rss_topstories

Exceprts:

"The rate of suicides among-active duty soldiers is on pace to surpass both last year's numbers and the rate of suicide in the general U.S. population for the first time since the Vietnam war, according to U.S. Army officials."

"Army officials said that if the trend continues this year, it will pass the nation's suicide rate of 19.5 people per 100,000, a 2005 figure considered the most recent by the government."

"The rise can be attributed to the increased pace of combat operations, the number of deployments and financial and family troubles connected with deployments, Army officials said."

:( I was told the Army in the form of the VA is suppose to be working on mental health care from military personnel!!! Now I'm :mad:

ETA: Most of the personnel coming back to the states, especially those who have experience combat situations have developed PTSD with anxiety which inevitably turns into a depression... They have very little way of getting it all out because really, how should can a brain process what has been seen in a war zone?

How does the data compare with the specific demographics of those serving? I find it interesting that the comparison is made with the general population, rather than a comparable populations of who is actually serving. I wonder if it's just incidental or if it's that the rate would be less dramatic in that comparison.

I sort of would expect suicide rates to be higher, I guess if I thought about it, because of the stress of the situation and the separation from a full range of friends and family support.

not to mention constant access to the most successful method of suicide (guns) Historically, among the general population, men commit suicide more often but women attempt it more often. Men tend to use more lethal means of trying to do it and therefore, they succeed at it more.

the concern now is not only suicides, but the possibility of something even worse: murder-suicides...

My take on military suicides, while not backed up by a study or anything, is based on limited experience.

In the 15 months I've been here there has been several suicides and suicide attempts. Some of the attempts were within my unit, thankfully none succeeded and they have all gotten help. Those that did succeed were within my brigade, but I didn't know them or anything.

There has been one issue common to every case. EVERY SINGLE CASE! A cheating female.

What does that mean or how can we fix it? Heck if I know. I just feel bad for anyone that is married or has a girlfriend that thinks she is going to be faithful to him while he is gone.

When the Marine corp considered not taking any marrieds, folks got very pissed off about it... That was in the mid-90's?

Then the ruling passed that one cannot date or have a relationship with his or her subordinate--one could be court martialed (sp?) then dishonorably discharged. I don't know what that means in terms of pay, but I suspect lower or none and one loses benefits/pension...

I am not sure the "military shrinks" have figured out what kind of medication to give to troops to assist them to dissociate/alienate from significant others and family during combat duty. I don't think I would want to see that kind of troop? Because how do they reintergrated back into society successfully?

My uncle who did 2 tours in Vietnam said that a whole bunch of his friends took psycho pension when more than 25 years after the conflict...

Please remember to keep your focus and when your tour is completed, please use as many resources you can find... I know some veterans who are doing things for you all when your mission is completed... One of them is a "stand down" fair in San Diego.

I'm understand this is not a positive thing, but I would argue that the military suicide rate probably already IS higher than that of the general population, and has been for a while.
It makes more sense logically- higher stress, arguably more "violent" work than other professions. I mean, if you are carrying around an automatic weapon daily, at the very least you're more armed than the average worker.
I just hope people will continue to start seeing mental health as as important as physical health, so people can try and get the help they need with less stigma. Who wants a physically healthy but emotionally unsound co-worker?!

If this were shown to be true statistically, that's still a significant phenomena because cheating occurs quite often in our society and it doesn't lead to suicide most of the time. I'm wondering if some military personnel are relying on that person/relationship to get them through the tough times (sort of like Tom Hanks in Castaway with Helen Hunt) so when that coping mechanism is taken away, there is no other way for them to get through it?

Maybe and then add easy access to weapons.

I also think that the group is overwhelming young and male probably changes things in a lot of ways. ETA: I mean changes it from the general population, not changes it from previous wars obviously.

Could the length of the war mean anything? Keep going back to a war zone, people KEEP dying, gunshot KEEP getting fired, the paranoia CONTINUES to persist... its also summer, and they are in the desert, and its bloody hot... kind of a jarhead sort of thing...

Maybe I'm reading a couple of the above posts wrong - and if so, please let me know. I'm sorry in advance if this sounds harsh, I cannot seem to temper it.

I think it's really unnecessary to try and qualify this statistic, or to downplay it by implying it's not meaningful enough because it doesn't compare a military demographic perfectly to its corresponding civilian demographic. That seems like a way to trivialize the issue, and I don't understand the need.

The bottom line is, the number is up.

That to me is the whole point of the article. It's incredibly troubling to see that the men and women who are putting themselves on the line are more prone this year than any year in a couple of decades to taking their own lives. That's a huge sign that there are issues that need tending, whether or not the rate is comparable to the identical civilian population.

It's bad that it's up for sure. I agree.

But it's important to see that number in some kind of context to appreciate how bad it is. If a comparison is made, you want to know if you are actually comparing like things and when two groups that might not actually be similar are compared, it makes you wonder if that matters.

(Since some old people have some of the highest suicide rates, it's possible that the whole general population's rate is actually lower than one more comparable to the group who is serving right now and the problem could be a whole lost worse than the comparison suggests.)

They are also going for longer tours with less time in between tours. And add in stop loss on top of it. So, just when you think you're about to get out and go home for good, nope. Realize that we've been in Iraq longer than we were in WWII.

ETA: It's not fair to compare the military vs. civilian demographics anyway because people with known mental illness aren't supposed to be in the service to begin with. Granted, the expected age of onset for clinical depression and bipolar disorder is in the same age range as those serving, but they've still been screened to some extent.