US Army Reports Record Suicide Rate Among Soldiers
Posted on: Friday, 6 February 2009, 09:50 CST
US Army officials have voiced concerns about the increasing rate of suicide among its soldiers in 2009, following a year that saw record US military suicide rates.
"This is terrifying," an Army official said. "We do not know what is going on."
In the first month of 2009, The Army says it has confirmed seven deaths to be suicides, and it believes the same conclusion will be reached in 17 other cases which have yet to be investigated.
Confirmed and unconfirmed combined would amount to 24 suicide deaths among Army soldiers in January alone – six times the rate in January 2008. Furthermore, Pentagon data shows that there were 16 US combat deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq in January, making the number of suicide deaths one third larger than those occurring in combat.
"There is more hopelessness and helplessness because everything is so dreary and cold," Col. Kathy Platoni, chief clinical psychologist for the Army Reserve and National Guard, told CNN.
The Army's confirmed rate of suicides in 2008 was 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers. The nation's suicide rate was 19.5 per 100,000 people in 2005, the most recent figure available, Army officials said last month.
Suicides for Marines were also up in 2008. There were 41 in 2008, up from 33 in 2007 and 25 in 2006, according to a Marines report.
Platoni said she believes one primary problem is that those soldiers who do seek mental health care have their treatment disrupted by deployments, which also comes with the long time spent away from friends and family back home.
"When people are apart you have infidelity, financial problems, substance abuse and child behavioral problems," Platoni said. "The more deployments, the more it is exacerbated."
And of those who seek treatment for depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, "there is still a huge problem with leadership who shame them when they seek treatment,” she said.
Additionally, some of the drugs distributed to soldiers for depression can have side effects including suicidal thoughts. Those side effects reportedly are more common in people 18 to 24, according to CNN.
"We want the families who have lost loved ones to suicide to understand how deeply we feel their loss and that we are committed to doing everything possible to prevent this tragedy in our Army," said Secretary of the Army Pete Geren.
“Progress depends on coordinated efforts across our entire Army— across all components, jurisdictions and commands, and on effective work with our government partners —the VA and the National Institute of Mental Health.”
The Army will conduct a “standdown” from February 15 to March 15 of this year in order to train soldiers to recognize behaviors that may lead to suicidal tendencies.
Imahe Courtesy US Army
---
On the Net:
Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
Related Articles
- U.S. Army Special Forces Operators Reluctant to Seek Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldier From Altoona Killed in Action
- Economy Impacts People Seeking Treatment for Addiction - 80% Increase Over Last Year
- As More Couples Seek Treatment for Infertility, Missouri Baptist Increases Staff in Its Fertility Center
- Medicare Increases 2008 Hospital Reimbursement Rates for Cryoablation Treatments of Prostate Cancer
- Rural Elderly Often Don't Seek Treatment
- Army Finds 7 Incorrect War Death Reports
- Army Secretary Reveals Combat Death Plan
- Rep. Kennedy says seeking treatment
- US Army probes whether Tillman death was homicide
 |
 |
User Comments (1)
| 1. |
Posted by Sharon McEachern on 02/06/2009, 10:46 I think there is something that's systemic to the U.S. Army contributing to the soldier suicides. Yes, we do know that the stress of deployment after extended deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan war zones is a huge factor. However, there are other Army soldiers committing suicide who are stationed state-side, not a war zone. Army recruiters in the southwest are committing suicide AND in the last two months suddenly West Point cadets are killing themselves. The Army's "warrior culture" or macho ethos persists in making it unbelievably difficult (nearly impossible) for a soldier to get self-initiated mental health counseling. Then there's the horrible hazing...An excellent article on the soldier suicides can be read on the Ethic Soup blog at: http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/02/us-army-soldier-suicides-rise-to-3decade-high.html |
RSS Feeds