Marine Corps sees big drop in monthly suicide statistics

UPDATE Aug. 5 2010

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Marine suicide rate up again
Hopes just crashed to the ground. I was wrong to think they finally got it last month,,,,,,

Please, please tell me it is because they get it and are going for help instead. Tell me they are getting the support they need from their CO and their buddies. Tell me they are getting support from their families and friends back home. Tell me that they are finally, once and for all, hearing what they need to know to heal and live. Above all, tell me that this is not just a fluke and the numbers will stay down.

MILITARY: Marine Corps sees big drop in monthly suicide statistics
By MARK WALKER - mlwalker@nctimes.com


The U.S. Marine Corps recorded one suicide in June and nine attempted suicides, the lowest monthly figures of the year.

The numbers are down substantially from May, when the service recorded seven suicides and 16 attempted suicides.

Marine Corps officials designated to speak about the trends were not available Wednesday, but a local civilian counselor cautioned it's too early to say if efforts to identify troops experiencing psychological stress are responsible for the June decline.

"We'll have to wait for two or three more months to see if it is in fact a trend or just an aberration," said the counselor, Bill Rider of the Oceanside-based American Combat Veterans of War. "I would like to think the Marine Corps' efforts are doing something, but there is no question that suicide comes along with war."

Last year, the Marine Corps recorded 52 suicides, the highest number since 2001, when 30 Marines took their own lives. That rate of 24 suicides per 100,000 troops surpassed the 20 per 100,000 in the civilian population.
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Marine Corps sees big drop in monthly suicide statistics