Army to report rise in National Guard, Reserve suicides

Army to report rise in National Guard, Reserve suicides
From Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
January 19, 2011 8:13 a.m. EST

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Report on suicides is to be released Wednesday, senior Army official says
Active-duty suicides declined in 2010, but rose among Reserve, National Guard
Increase was among stateside troops, most of whom were never in a war zone
Army doesn't have any answers for the discrepancy, official says
Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Army on Wednesday will report that while the number of suicides in the active-duty force declined in 2010, the number of suicides in the Army Reserve and National Guard increased, a senior Army official said.
The increase in Reserve and National Guard suicides is among troops who are in the United States and not activated for duty. The senior Army official said more than half of those troops were never deployed to a war zone.
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Army to report rise in National Guard, Reserve suicides

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Army to implement new mental health screening procedures
By Charley Keyes, CNN
January 19, 2011 9:27 a.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The Pentagon will report on Army suicide rates for 2010 Wednesday
A study found pre-deployment screenings cut down on problems later
The soldier and unit both benefit from the screenings

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Army hopes it can do a better job of preventing mental health problems in the ranks with more aggressive screening of troops -- before they ship out to a war zone.
After nine years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the military is coping with a wave of mental health issues, from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression and suicide.
Army medical experts have been studying the results of a just-released study of the benefits of pre-deployment evaluation of soldiers and follow-up treatment while they were in Iraq. The study found that improved screening reduced later behavioral problems by 78% and reduced thoughts of suicide by more than half.
The service is struggling with a troubling suicide rate. At a news conference at the Pentagon later Wednesday, officials will report that while the number of suicides in the active-duty force declined in 2010, the number of suicides in the Army Reserve and National Guard increased, a senior Army official said.
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Army to implement new mental health screening procedures