Washington, NU Online
Despite a wide range of prevention efforts, suicides in the US military have risen to a new record high in 2009.
The Department of Defense has reported that 160 active-duty army soldiers committed suicide in 2009, up from 140 in 2008.<>
The report says the military service members have come under severe strain from years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Repeated deployments and combat stress have been fueling the depression and marital problems resulting in suicidal impulses, it goes on to explain.
“There's no question that 2009 was a painful year for the Army when it came to suicides," noted Colonel Christopher Philbrick, an official with the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force, in a Friday statement.
"We took wide-ranging measures last year to confront the problem, from the service-wide stand-down and chain-teach program, to enhanced suicide prevention programs and guidance for our Army units, and the suicide prevention research through our partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health.”
Suicides among veterans and female soldiers have also been on the rise compared to the previous years. This comes despite the army's adoption of a range of initiatives to try to contain the problem.
The Pentagon has found the latest figures disturbing due to the 'unprecedented' nature of the military suicide rates compared to those of civilians.
"I look at the numbers of each service, and that rate has gone up at the same rate across the services," chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen was quoted by US media as telling a meeting of military mental health professionals and advocates earlier in the week.
The latest suicide rate figures in the US military are the highest in over three decades since the closing days of the country's war on Vietnam in mid 1970s. (dar)
Despite a wide range of prevention efforts, suicides in the US military have risen to a new record high in 2009.
The Department of Defense has reported that 160 active-duty army soldiers committed suicide in 2009, up from 140 in 2008.<>
The report says the military service members have come under severe strain from years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Repeated deployments and combat stress have been fueling the depression and marital problems resulting in suicidal impulses, it goes on to explain.
“There's no question that 2009 was a painful year for the Army when it came to suicides," noted Colonel Christopher Philbrick, an official with the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force, in a Friday statement.
"We took wide-ranging measures last year to confront the problem, from the service-wide stand-down and chain-teach program, to enhanced suicide prevention programs and guidance for our Army units, and the suicide prevention research through our partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health.”
Suicides among veterans and female soldiers have also been on the rise compared to the previous years. This comes despite the army's adoption of a range of initiatives to try to contain the problem.
The Pentagon has found the latest figures disturbing due to the 'unprecedented' nature of the military suicide rates compared to those of civilians.
"I look at the numbers of each service, and that rate has gone up at the same rate across the services," chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen was quoted by US media as telling a meeting of military mental health professionals and advocates earlier in the week.
The latest suicide rate figures in the US military are the highest in over three decades since the closing days of the country's war on Vietnam in mid 1970s. (dar)
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