Army Suicides Increased By 13% In 2007

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Public Health;  Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 02 Jun 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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The number of Army soldiers who committed suicide in 2007 increased by 13% over 2006 to 115, according to the 2008 Army Suicide Event Report released Thursday, the Baltimore Sun reports (Wood, Baltimore Sun, 5/30). The number represents the highest rate since the Army began tracking suicides in 1980 (Chicago Tribune, 5/29). According to the Army, the suicide rate among civilians is 19.5 in 100,000 people. Other Defense Department research has shown that suicides among all military personnel in Iraq occur at a rate of about 24 per 100,000 people (Wood, Baltimore Sun, 5/30).

According to Army records, 65% of the suicides were related to broken relationships and 37% occurred within 30 days of when the relationship ended (Zoroya, USA Today, 5/30). Fifty-three percent of soldiers who committed suicide were younger than age 25 and 57% were married, according to the report (Chicago Tribune, 5/29).

Thirty-two of the Army suicides occurred in Iraq, and four occurred in Afghanistan (USA Today, 5/30). The largest percentage of the soldiers who committed suicide did so during their first three months in Iraq or Afghanistan, and the largest percentage of attempted suicides occurred during the second quarter of deployment. Twenty-six percent of suicides occurred among soldiers who had never been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Fifty-two soldiers committed suicide in 2001, the year the war on terrorism began.

The report also found that 935 soldiers attempted suicide in 2007, compared with 948 in 2006 (USA Today, 5/30). In 2005, 85 Army soldiers committed suicide and 67 committed suicide in 2004, the AP/Washington Times reports (Jelinek, AP/Washington Times, 5/30). Lt. Col. Thomas Languirand, head of command policies and programs, said the 2008 suicide rate is comparable to last year (Chicago Tribune, 5/29).

Reaction
According to the Sun, "The rising incidences of suicides and severe stress are directly related to the rigors of what Bush administration officials call 'the Long War' in Iraq and Afghanistan" (Baltimore Sun, 5/30). Other contributing factors were the increased length of tours from 12 months to 15 months and multiple deployments (AP/Washington Times, 5/30). A study released this spring by U.S. command in Baghdad found that 17.9% of troops report acute stress, depression or anxiety, and 11% met the criteria for mild traumatic brain injury.

Army officers acknowledged that the data on military suicides and stress are incomplete, as soldiers who leave the Army and National Guard soldiers are not tracked. University of Maryland sociologist Jesse Harris, a retired Army officer, said researchers are "rather puzzled at the alarming rate [of suicide increases], and we are trying to get a grip on it." Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, assistant Army surgeon general, said, "The Army is committed to taking care of every soldier, regardless of medical illness, injury or psychological diagnosis." However, "there is more to be done" in the areas of suicide prevention training and other mental health care, she said.

Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general, acknowledged that the Army does not have the facilities and providers to care for all its soldiers. He said, "As a nation, our mental health capability is not adequate to the need," and the Army is experiencing the same problem. The Army has approved the hiring of more than 300 additional mental health professionals and has hired 180 of them, and the Pentagon has approved increasing spending on family support programs (Baltimore Sun, 5/30).

Broadcast Coverage
CNN's "Newsroom" on Thursday included coverage of the report (Starr, "Newsroom," CNN, 5/29).

NBC's "Nightly News" on Thursday included coverage of the report (Miklaszewski, "Nightly News," NBC, 5/29).

WBUR's "Here and Now" on Thursday included a discussion with Bryan Bender of the Boston Globe about the report ("Here and Now," WBUR, 5/29).

PTSD
In related news, McClatchy/Orlando Sentinel on Friday examined how "soldiers, veterans and their families are running into red tape and roadblocks when they try to use their military insurance to get treatment for ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder." About 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with PTSD since 2003, the Pentagon reported earlier this week. According to McClatchy/Sentinel, "The deployment of hundreds of doctors and therapists to Iraq and Afghanistan and the shortage of military health care providers has forced patients at U.S. installations to wait for months for appointments -- and longer if they need to see a specialist."

At the same time, "civilian doctors and psychiatrists say they're often faced with tough decisions about whether to turn away patients on Tricare ... because its reimbursement rates are low and its claims process is cumbersome," McClatchy/Sentinel reports. According to McClatchy/Sentinel, some doctors opt to "volunteer their time and services rather than navigate Tricare's red tape for what may ultimately prove to be a small reimbursement for services" (Abdullah, McClatchy/Orlando Sentinel, 5/30).

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© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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