A recent five-year study conducted by the Defense Health Agency has shed light on a disturbing trend within the U.S. military: soldiers are nearly nine times more likely to die by suicide than in combat.
The study, which analyzed data from active-duty soldiers between 2014 and 2019, found that 883 soldiers died by suicide, while 814 deaths were attributed to accidents, and only 96 occurred in combat situations.
The release of these findings comes at a time when the Army and the Pentagon have already initiated a task force to investigate harmful behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse, that contribute to the growing suicide epidemic among military personnel, USA Today reported.
Despite these efforts, the suicide rates continue to climb, with 55 soldiers having taken their lives so far in 2024.
In 2019, the suicide rate per 100,000 soldiers stood at 28.8 deaths, but by last year, it had jumped to an alarming 36.6 military deaths per 100,000.
As of May 2024, the suicide rate remains high at 31.8 per 100,000 soldiers. While the suicide rate for the general American population has also risen by 37% since 2000, the military’s suicide rate far surpasses the civilian rate, which stood at 14.1 per 100,000 people in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available.
The study highlighted a particularly concerning trend in Alaska, where 11 soldiers died by suicide during the research period.
In response, officials invested more than $200 million to improve living conditions at Fort Wainwright.
However, this investment did not prove to be a sufficient solution, as suicide rates continued to soar, prompting the Army to deploy mental health professionals to the state. The suicide rates in Alaska did see a significant drop in 2022, following a peak of 17 deaths by suicide in 2021.
The Pentagon is now planning to take more proactive measures to address the military suicide crisis. Recommendations include improving access to mental health counseling and providing incentives for the safe storage of firearms, which account for 70% of suicide deaths among military personnel, according to USA Today.
According to the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, more than 90% of military suicides involve male personnel, typically under the age of 35. Unlike civilians, the most common method of suicide among military personnel is the use of firearms.
Research conducted by Brown University in 2021 revealed at least 30,177 active service members and veterans who served in the post-9/11 era have been verified as dying by suicide.
Of this total, veterans comprised the larger share at a minimum of 22,261 deaths. The study’s authors suggest that these figures likely underestimate the true toll, as the actual suicide numbers are probably substantially higher.
“But the study finds that there are factors unique to the post-9/11 era, including a huge increase in exposure to improvised explosive devices (IEDs), an attendant rise in traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and modern medical advances that have allowed service members to survive these and other physical traumas and return to the frontlines in multiple deployments,” according to a summary of the study. “The combination of multiple traumatic exposures, chronic pain, and lasting physical wounds is linked to suicidal behaviors.” Furthermore, even when using other methods, such as drug overdoses, those in the military appear to engage in more lethal suicide attempts compared to their civilian counterparts.
Military OneSource provides a comprehensive list of resources for service members and their families seeking assistance.
If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out for support by calling 988.
The post Pentagon Study Reveals Alarming Suicide Rates Among U.S. Soldiers appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Kelly H
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://resistthemainstream.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.