Army Suicide Rates Reach Highest Levels in Thirty Years

Army Data Show Rise in Number of Suicides

In 2008 the Army set yet another record for the number of Soldiers committing suicide, the first month of 2009 looks to continue that trend.  January has seen 7 confirmed suicides with another 17 still under investigation, but most likely suicides as well.  Obviously this has serious repercussions all the way up the Army chain of command.  Suicide prevention has always been a

 yearly training requirement for every Soldier.  Recently the Army has began a new "campaign" designed to encourage every Soldier to look out for his buddy.  During our recent training, the Chaplain remarked that you can't measure the success of a suicide prevention program by the number of "successful" suicides, you can only measure it by the number of suicides prevented.  I guess there is some truth to that, but the numbers are really alarming.  I think you can point to several keys for why the Army in particular is experiencing these unprecedented suicide rates

1. Demographics.  Young white males are the segment of the general population most likely to commit suicide.  Obviously there are hundred's of thousands of young white males serving in the Armed Forces
   
2. Availible Means.  Simply put, every Soldier knows how to use a gun.  Every Soldier serving in a combat zone carries one with him every where they go.  With the means to commit suicide so readily available, there is no buffer, or cooling off period.
3. Lengthy Deployments.  The Thanksgiving I spent in Iraq, '07, a unit had just arrived in country for a 15 month tour.  They were just flowing in at Thanksgiving, they would spend that Thanksgiving away from their loved ones.  Christmas, The Super Bowl, Valentines Day, at least one birthday, the 4th of July, Baseball season, another Thanksgiving, Another Christmas, Another Superbowl...In fact they are still there, hopefully they can be home for theis Valentine's day.  If you think that this isn't a factor, you're crazy.  Only the Army faces 15 month deployments, if we're lucky we get 12 months home with family before its back for another round.
4. Relationships Dissolving.  See Above...its alot to ask for someone to wait 15 months for a loved one to come home.  The Army seems to reward questionable/ unstable relationships monetarily.  Example:  Married Soldiers recieve a Basic Allowance For Housing (BAH) tax free each month, single Soldiers don't.  That is a strong incentive to get married immediately before a deployment.  Its alot to ask a wife you've known for six months to wait another 15 for you to get home.  A heartbreaking phone call or e-mail, the helplessness that comes with not being able to do anything about it, and you can see where it leads.
5. The toughguy mentality.  Put bluntly, in the Army those that seek treatment for any wound that isn't physical, are seen as weak.  Suck it up.  This is doubly true for a Soldier in a leadership position, instead of being an example of seeking help for a legitimate problem, many in leadership are hesitant to seek help because of the way they feel their subordinates will percieve them.  It takes along time to change the culture of an organization as "macho" as the Army, it may never happen.  Until recently, in order to obtain or extend a security clearance, we had divulge whether or not we'd ever sought treatment from a Mental Health Professional, answer yes, and alot more questions would be asked, and your career could be in jeopardy.  Official guidance has come out that says if you receive counsling for PTSD you are no longer required to check the yes block.  A good idea, but I doubt its enough.