Intense emotional distress number one reason for Military Suicide Attempts

Study reveals top reason behind soldiers' suicides
By Gregg Zoroya
USA TODAY

When researchers asked 72 soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo., why they tried to kill themselves, out of the 33 reasons they had to choose from, all of the soldiers included one in particular — a desire to end intense emotional distress.

"This really is the first study that provides scientific data saying that the top reason … these guys are trying to kill themselves is because they have this intense psychological suffering and pain," said Craig Bryan, co-author of the study by the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah that will be published in the coming months.

Suicide within the military has soared since 2005 as the military has waged two wars at once, and this year may set a record with troops committing suicide at the rate of one per day, according to Pentagon figures.

But military scientists say that finally, after years of congressional funding and the launch of randomized studies of a subject rarely researched, a few validated results are beginning to surface.
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I guess I should feel really glad that I was right so long ago but this is one of the saddest days of my life. How many lives could have been saved if someone listened? Think of it from my perspective. I've been reading what experts had to say about Combat PTSD and reports about veterans for 30 years. If I could figure this out when the troops were sent into Afghanistan in 2001, why couldn't the military and the government?