Army suicides highest in 26 years

**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

This isn't a good trend. Our troops seem to be showing signs that our continued deployment is at least partially to blame.

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

Quote:

WASHINGTON - Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report.

The report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its scheduled release Thursday, found there were 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers during 2006, up from 88 the previous year and the highest since the 102 suicides in 1991.

"Iraq was the most common deployment location for both (suicides) and attempts," the report said.

The 99 suicides included 28 soldiers deployed to the two wars and 71 who weren't. About twice as many women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide as did women not sent to war, the report said.

Preliminary numbers for the first half of this year indicate the number of suicides could decline across the service in 2007 but increase among troops serving in the wars, officials said.

The increases for 2006 came as Army officials worked to set up a number of new and stronger programs for providing mental health care to a force strained by the longer-than-expected war in Iraq and the global counterterrorism war entering its sixth year.

Failed personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs were factors motivating the soldiers to commit suicide, according to the report.

"In addition, there was a significant relationship between suicide attempts and number of days deployed" in Iraq, Afghanistan or nearby countries where troops are participating in the war effort, it said. The same pattern seemed to hold true for those who not only attempted, but succeeded in killing themselves.

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**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

Scary stats!

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

Army says no proof it is because of the wars.

THE US army has said that at least 99 soldiers committed suicide in 2006, nearly a third while in Iraq or Afghanistan, signaling a rising suicide rate compared to previous years.

The army also recorded 948 serious suicide attempts which required hospitalisation or evacuation as well as two deaths with unclear causes still under investigation.

Among soldiers who killed themselves in 2006, 27 were in Iraq and three were in Afghanistan.

The army also reported 44 suicides in the first six months of 2007, 17 among soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Did you expect anything else?

**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

I never expected them to recognize the problem. If they did, it would be a first.

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

The military NEVER aceepts responsibility for anything, especially when it f*cks up someone's life.

**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

The military has put itself in uncharted territory. These extended tours of duty in a combat zone is bound to make these numbers increase.

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

a new study on troop suicide

Veterans receiving treatment for depression are no more likely to take their own lives than civilian patients, according to a large Veterans Affairs study published this afternoon.

The study, a joint effort between the University of Michigan and the veterans’ agency that included detailed records from more than 800,000 veterans, is the largest and most comprehensive in this group of patients and the first to include troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

It found 1,683 suicides in all, a rate of less than one-quarter of 1 percent — far lower than some previous estimates. But experts cautioned against applying the findings too widely, because most former servicemen and women with mental problems do not seek treatment in the Veterans Affairs system.

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**Tumbleweed** · Admin Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 4

Quote:

most former servicemen and women with mental problems do not seek treatment in the Veterans Affairs system.

That's pretty sad considering the VA is for helping vets, but it seems to be a useless safety net for a lot of vets.

**Kizzume** · Capo Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 1

I wish I could say more than--I think this is a very sad scenario. Even without a draft, it would seem that the morale is not too great right now in the military.

As far as people not getting help when they COULD get it, in my head, I envision a bunch of people that are too prideful to ask for help mentally after going through war because asking for help is "showing weakness". It's probably not what the case is, but who knows.

**CHUQ** · Agitator Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts votes: 3

Grunts do not talk about their experiences with someone who was not there. Book smart is cool, but there is not a page that will get someone an idea of what they went through.