US Army Suicide May Hit Record High
Source: Alalam.ir, 5-9-2008
WASHINGTON--Suicides among the US soldiers this year may surpass the record rate of last year, Army officials say.
The military officials called on the military leaders at all levels to redouble prevention efforts for a force strained by two wars.
As of the end of August, there were 62 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers and Guard and Reserve troops called to active duty, officials said.
Another 31 deaths appear to be suicides but are still being investigated.
Deputy Director of human resources policy Col. Eddie Stephens said at a Pentagon news conference that the number for 2008 could eclipse the 115 of last year, and the rate per 100,000 could surpass that of the civilian population, If all are confirmed.
Army Secretary Pete Geren said Army leaders were fully aware that repeated deployments have led to increased distress and anxiety for both soldiers and their families.
"Installations and units across the Army have been directed to redouble their efforts in awareness and prevention training and soldier care and support services," Stephens said.
To try to stem the continually growing number of suicides, the Army already has been increasing the number of staff psychiatrists and other mental health staff as well as chaplains and bolstering programs both at home and at the battlefronts.
Officials also are about to issue a new interactive video for troops and will be adding a new program on resilience to basic training starting in January, said Brig. Gen. Rhonda L. Cornum, an assistant Army surgeon general.
"There are no simple problems and there are no simple solutions," Cornum said. "There is no program that has been shown to be truly effective at preventing suicides ... Success will be the sum of a number of smaller steps."
As officials have said before, Cornum said the main factors in soldier suicides continues to be problems with their personal relationships, legal and financial issues, work problems and the repeated deployments and longer tour lengths prompted by an Afghan war entering its eighth year and Iraq campaign in its sixth.
The Army has come under unprecedented stress as the main force in the two largely ground wars.
Of the confirmed deaths so far this year, three soldiers were in the Army Reserves and four in the Army National Guard.
If the overall numbers continue through December as they have been, Stephens said, they would eclipse the 115 of 2007, 102 in 2006, 87 in 2005 and 67 in 2004.
The rate per 100,000 soldiers also has been rising and could be surpassed.
It was 18.1 per 100,000 last year, the highest since the Army started keeping record in 1980.
That compared to a rate of 17.5 in 2006 and 9.8 in 2002, the first full year after the start of the war in Afghanistan.
The rate for 2008 has not been calculated, officials said, but if the trend holds, it would surpass the demographically adjusted rate of 19.5 per 100,000 for the civilian population, Stephens said.
WASHINGTON--Suicides among the US soldiers this year may surpass the record rate of last year, Army officials say.
The military officials called on the military leaders at all levels to redouble prevention efforts for a force strained by two wars.
As of the end of August, there were 62 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers and Guard and Reserve troops called to active duty, officials said.
Another 31 deaths appear to be suicides but are still being investigated.
Deputy Director of human resources policy Col. Eddie Stephens said at a Pentagon news conference that the number for 2008 could eclipse the 115 of last year, and the rate per 100,000 could surpass that of the civilian population, If all are confirmed.
Army Secretary Pete Geren said Army leaders were fully aware that repeated deployments have led to increased distress and anxiety for both soldiers and their families.
"Installations and units across the Army have been directed to redouble their efforts in awareness and prevention training and soldier care and support services," Stephens said.
To try to stem the continually growing number of suicides, the Army already has been increasing the number of staff psychiatrists and other mental health staff as well as chaplains and bolstering programs both at home and at the battlefronts.
Officials also are about to issue a new interactive video for troops and will be adding a new program on resilience to basic training starting in January, said Brig. Gen. Rhonda L. Cornum, an assistant Army surgeon general.
"There are no simple problems and there are no simple solutions," Cornum said. "There is no program that has been shown to be truly effective at preventing suicides ... Success will be the sum of a number of smaller steps."
As officials have said before, Cornum said the main factors in soldier suicides continues to be problems with their personal relationships, legal and financial issues, work problems and the repeated deployments and longer tour lengths prompted by an Afghan war entering its eighth year and Iraq campaign in its sixth.
The Army has come under unprecedented stress as the main force in the two largely ground wars.
Of the confirmed deaths so far this year, three soldiers were in the Army Reserves and four in the Army National Guard.
If the overall numbers continue through December as they have been, Stephens said, they would eclipse the 115 of 2007, 102 in 2006, 87 in 2005 and 67 in 2004.
The rate per 100,000 soldiers also has been rising and could be surpassed.
It was 18.1 per 100,000 last year, the highest since the Army started keeping record in 1980.
That compared to a rate of 17.5 in 2006 and 9.8 in 2002, the first full year after the start of the war in Afghanistan.
The rate for 2008 has not been calculated, officials said, but if the trend holds, it would surpass the demographically adjusted rate of 19.5 per 100,000 for the civilian population, Stephens said.
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