What's next on stopping military suicides? Fish oil, no not kidding

I doubt fish oil is going to give veterans back hope, since, obviously, the military still hasn't figured that one out yet.

Military studying if fish oil can cut suicide risk
BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press
October 8, 2012

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A $10 million study will investigate if a substance found in fish oil can reduce the risk of suicide among military veterans, where the rate is higher than in the population as a whole.

The three-year study of omega-3 fatty acids was announced Monday by the Medical University of South Carolina, the Veterans Administration and the National Institutes of Health.

In the controlled study being conducted for the Army, veterans already receiving mental health services will be given smoothies high in omega-3s for a six-month period. Others will be given a placebo.

Omega-3s are the main fats in the brain and essential for neural function and normal brain development, said Bernadette Marriott, a professor in the Institute of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina and the principal investigator in the study.

"Through other studies it's been found that they can help improve depression significantly," she said.

The Veterans Administration estimates that 20 percent of the suicides in the nation are committed by veterans and that the rate among vets is almost twice as high as in the general population.

"One of the questions this study hopes to address is do we see a clinical effect that is strong enough that the military would then consider providing supplements to all military personnel, not just those who are already experiencing depression?" she said.
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