Addressing the tragic irony of military suicide

When reading this, it is important to understand that when you read "were not diagnosed with mental illness" that does not mean they didn't have it. It just means no one diagnosed them.

About face: Addressing the tragic irony of military suicide
Guest Opinion: One military psychiatrist knows how to curb military suicide the cheap and easy way.
Why doesn't anyone want to talk about it?
Crosscut.com
By Dr. Christopher Staeheli
June 5, 2013

Two years ago, a New York Times article sent to Navy psychiatrists (“For Some troops, Powerful Drug Cocktails Have Deadly Results,” February 12, 2011) lead to an email exchange on our role in providing access to medications used by the 32 percent of soldiers who committed suicide by overdose. I, naively, replied to all: “I am curious about the other 68 percent? I suspect those soldiers are dying by self-inflicted gunshot.”

The vociferous responses made me realize how much easier it is to discuss suicide by overdose than suicide by gun. Out of curiosity, I Googled “soldier suicide by gun.” It turns out I was right – about two-thirds of soldier suicides are the result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. I also discovered I had a lot to learn about the myths of suicide.

Despite all of the efforts by the Military Services to reverse the trend, the soldier suicide rate continues to climb. For the past three years, according to the 2009 - 2012 Department of Defense Suicide Event Reports (DoDSER), more soldiers have died by suicide than in combat.

In 2012, statistics released by the Department of the Army reported that 349 military service members committed suicide, while 295 died in combat.

Existing suicide prevention strategies are not working. Many are based on an existing set of myths about suicide and the individuals who attempt it that are simply incorrect.
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