Statistics

* Per 100,000 people, the rate of military suicide for recent years is:
* 15.8 in 1985
* 14.2 in 1993
* 9.1 in 2001
* 14.2 in 2005 ( 2.)
* The suicide rate for soldiers in 2005 was the highest since 1994. Of the 83 who completed suicide, 25 were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan ( 2.)
* 1 in 3 soldiers who come back from Iraq will suffer from PTSD or other mental health disorders. ( 1.)
* Only 23-40% of these soldiers seek any type of mental health assistance
* The overall rate of suicide is 12 people per 100,000, higher than the civilian rate. ( 1.)

Prevention

* Since the arrival of US Soldiers in Iraq, the army has increased the number of combat stress teams, increased suicide prevention training, and worked to remove the stigma associated with receiving mental health treatment.
* There are now over 230 mental health practitioners working in Iraq and Afghanistan. ( 2.)
* In 2000, the Army implemented its “Soldiers, Leaders, and Communities Saving Lives” prevention campaign to educate soldiers about how to recognize and respond to the early signs of suicidal behavior.
* Also introduced in 2000, the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) program was introduced to give tools to those who come into contact with those at risk for suicide.
* The Department of Defense has issued a Plan to Achieve the Vision of the DoD Task Force on Mental Health, which calls for a cultural chance to improve and enhance the psychological health and fitness of all service members and their families.

Veteran Statistics

Little information exists in regards to national numbers of suicide completion among those who have served in the military. In a 2005 study conducted by CBS news of 45 US states, 6,256 veteran suicides were detected. That is about 120 a week and roughly 17 a day. Notable characteristics about this group include:
* 96.9% were male
* 67.9% used firearms as a means, 12.7% used poison, and 11.5% died from asphyxiation
* 47.2% were depressed but only 26.7% sought treatment
* 17.% had an alcohol problem and 7.7% had a history of substance abuse
* 33.9% left a suicide note, and 13.3% had made a previous attempt ( 3.)

Veteran Prevention

November 6, 2007- President Bush signed the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. Under the Act, the Department of Veteran Affairs is required to train all VA staff on suicide prevention, staff each of their facilities with a prevention counselor, and create peer support counseling groups. In addition, they are to support outreach and education for vets and their families, and screen all soldiers who seek care through the VA for mental health needs.

Experts who conducted the 2005 CBS study cite particular suicide warning signs among veterans for family and friends to look for. These include:
* Calling old military friends to say goodbye
* Cleaning weapons that they have kept
* Obsession with news coverage of the war
* Standing guard of the house when others are sleeping, or obsessive locking of doors and windows
* Talking about how honorable being a soldier was
* Wearing their uniform, or a particular part of it
* Alcohol abuse or stopping/hording medications ( 3.)

For more information about suicide and suicide prevention, check out these websites:
Suicide Prevention, Suicide Awareness, Suicide Support
The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention contains easy-to-read statistics as well as great links to topics such as youth and older adult suicide, culture and ethnicity, mental illness, and suicide means.

1. Hamer, G., Outlaw, R., Regan, J., Wright, A. (July 2005). Suicide in the Military. Journal of the Tennessee Medical Association- Mental Health Series, 400-401.
2. Associated Press. (2006, April 21). Army suicides hit highest level since 1993. MSNBS News. Retrieved July 3, 2007 at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12428185
3. CBS News. (2007, November 13). The Veteran Suicide Epidemic. CBS News.
Retrieved July 3, 2007 at www,truthout.org/article/the-veteran-suicide-epidemic