Army Suicides Spike Tied To Deployments

Finally a reporter did his job and told the real story we've been talking about.

Study shows infantry soldiers more susceptible to suicide
Rates tripled from 2004 to 2012
Jacksonville.com
Clifford Davis
Posted: May 9, 2014

For most soldiers, their suicide risk is low before their first deployment, the study found.

During deployment, that risk spikes and then comes back down after the soldiers return home, though it is never as low as the pre-deployment level, Schoenbaum said.

A sweeping new Army study has found that some of America’s fiercest warriors experience the highest risk of suicide: the infantry.

From their psychological make-up and their training to their combat experience, a growing body of research suggests the very qualities and training that enable them to kick down doors in trouble-spots around the globe could create a perfect storm for suicide.

“We found that the infantry MOS (military occupational specialty) and a few others involving combat arms had a significantly elevated suicide risk,” said Dr. Michael Schoenbaum, one of the scientific leaders of the Army STARRS study that focuses on suicide risk and resilience among soldiers.

The study, expected to be released later this year, comes at a time when the Department of Defense is paying more attention to suicides in the ranks and among veterans.

Among current service members the suicide rate is remaining steady but historically high while the number of veterans killing themselves represent one of every four suicides in Florida.

The study, a collaborative effort between the Army and the National Institute of Mental Health, began after Secretary of the Army Pete Geren approached the institute in 2008 with concerns about the Army’s alarming rise in suicides.

In 2004, the Army experienced a suicide rate of about 10 soldiers per 100,000. By 2008, that rate had doubled and would nearly triple in 2012 to 28 per 100,000.

“The suicide rate in demographically comparable civilians was flat over this same period at about 18 to 19 per 100,000,” Schoenbaum said. “So this huge increase in the active-duty Army was unique to the Army; it wasn’t because suicides were rising everywhere in society.”
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