U.S. military suicides exceed combat deaths

[sage]

Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will worsen this year.

The Pentagon has struggled to deal with the suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic. The problem reflects severe strains on military personnel burdened with more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, complicated by anxiety over the prospect of being forced out of a shrinking force.

Pentagon figures obtained Monday by The Associated Press show that the 349 suicides among active-duty troops last year were up from 301 the year before and exceeded the Pentagon's own internal projection of 325. Statistics alone do not explain why troops take their own lives, and the Pentagon's military and civilian leaders have acknowledged that more needs to be done to understand the causes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...combat-deaths/

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[sage]

We ALL need to Support the Troops and stop the poisoning of them!

Antidepressant medication, used under the guidance of a mental health professional, may relieve some of your depression symptoms. But antidepressants also come with significant side effects and dangers. What’s more, recent studies have raised questions about their effectiveness. At the very least, it’s clear that medication alone isn’t enough—you also need to make changes in your lifestyle. Learning the facts about antidepressants and weighing the benefits against the risks can help you make an informed and personal decision about what’s right for you.

Most mental health experts agree that when depression is severe, medication can be helpful—even life-saving. However, research shows that antidepressants fall short for many people.

A major U.S. government study released in 2006 showed that fewer than 50 percent of people become symptom-free on antidepressants, even after trying two different medications. Furthermore, many who do respond to medication slip back into depression within a short while, despite sticking with drug treatment.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/medi...depression.htm

[sigmalady]

Each year the Pentagon performs an in-depth study of the circumstances of each suicide. The most recent year for which that analysis is available is 2011, and among the findings was that those who took their own lives tended to be white men under the age of 25, in the junior enlisted ranks, with less than a college education.

The analysis of 2011's 301 military suicides also found that the suicide rate for divorced service members was 55 percent higher than for those who were married. It determined that 60 percent of military suicides were committed with the use of firearms — and in most cases the guns were personal weapons, not military-issued.

Perhaps this means this younger generation is not as tough mentally as earlier generations.

[flyboy56]

Perhaps this means this younger generation is not as tough mentally as earlier generations.

Perhaps we can blame the baby boomer parents, aka helicopter parents.

[songfourone]

By all means, attempt to blame the parents of the soldiers that have committed suicide. RWNJ continuing to spin off into ridiculousness.

[bullmikey]

I know sage is a bit fanatical at times but I can’t help but think he is onto something here. Let’s face it, they hand out mind altering drugs like candy these days (funny ‘cause kids can’t get candy in many schools since Mad Mothers Against Junk Food have had their way), and there does seem to be a lot of these so-called inexplicable moments of outrageous violence these days.

Wars do bad things to the people who have to fight them and one would expect an elevated suicide rate (just like with cops) among combatants, but we seem to be plagued by extremes and I think the medical history of these people – victims and victimizers – should be looked at closely. If it doesn’t answer the question, it surely won’t do any harm. Not everything is solvable with a 12-step program or by sending everybody to awareness classes.

[Calamari]

Apparently it isn't solved by taking them to the shooting range either.

[sigmalady]

I know sage is a bit fanatical at times but I can’t help but think he is onto something here. Let’s face it, they hand out mind altering drugs like candy these days (funny ‘cause kids can’t get candy in many schools since Mad Mothers Against Junk Food have had their way), and there does seem to be a lot of these so-called inexplicable moments of outrageous violence these days.

Wars do bad things to the people who have to fight them and one would expect an elevated suicide rate (just like with cops) among combatants, but we seem to be plagued by extremes and I think the medical history of these people – victims and victimizers – should be looked at closely. If it doesn’t answer the question, it surely won’t do any harm. Not everything is solvable with a 12-step program or by sending everybody to awareness classes.

Lets not forget that standards were also lowered and people who would normally have been turned away were accepted.

[bullmikey]

Lets not forget that standards were also lowered and people who would normally have been turned away were accepted.

From what I can tell (admittedly, not much from where I am now), they have about the best force they have ever had. When I was in it was the bottom of the barrel - every poor slob who couldn't afford to live in Sweden off daddy's money or buy his exemption by going to basket-weaver’s college for the foreseeable future. The people they have now seem better educated, better trained, and a lot more dedicated to the cause than they were when I was in. I had guys, the sons of sharecroppers and pig farmers, in my old outfit that literally couldn’t read and write; they just knew how to make their marks.

God knows they had no standards at all back then. If you had a pulse you qualified. Thye were shipping us home by the hundreds a week in body bags, by the thoudands a week on medivac flights. A lot of guys joined on the Judge Plan, where they chose the army instead of jail time. Some ended up wishing they'd done the jail time.

No, I'd say the force is a lot more professional now than ever. And they may have dropped standards here and there over the course of the last few years to beef up deployments, but nothing like what they were back in the "good old days" when every other troop was a stoner and you were just there to be cannon fodder. I think there's a lot more to this high suicide rate than a drop in standards.

[ms maggie]

From what I can tell (admittedly, not much from where I am now), they have about the best force they have ever had. When I was in it was the bottom of the barrel - every poor slob who couldn't afford to live in Sweden off daddy's money or buy his exemption by going to basket-weaver’s college for the foreseeable future. The people they have now seem better educated, better trained, and a lot more dedicated to the cause than they were when I was in. I had guys, the sons of sharecroppers and pig farmers, in my old outfit that literally couldn’t read and write; they just knew how to make their marks.

God knows they had no standards at all back then. If you had a pulse you qualified. Thye were shipping us home by the hundreds a week in body bags, by the thoudands a week on medivac flights. A lot of guys joined on the Judge Plan, where they chose the army instead of jail time. Some ended up wishing they'd done the jail time.

No, I'd say the force is a lot more professional now than ever. And they may have dropped standards here and there over the course of the last few years to beef up deployments, but nothing like what they were back in the "good old days" when every other troop was a stoner and you were just there to be cannon fodder. I think there's a lot more to this high suicide rate than a drop in standards.

You don't think the number of deployments has something to do with this? Also could the lack of a clear definition of winning and a clear definition of who the enemy is be a factor?

[sigmalady]

From what I can tell (admittedly, not much from where I am now), they have about the best force they have ever had. When I was in it was the bottom of the barrel - every poor slob who couldn't afford to live in Sweden off daddy's money or buy his exemption by going to basket-weaver’s college for the foreseeable future. The people they have now seem better educated, better trained, and a lot more dedicated to the cause than they were when I was in. I had guys, the sons of sharecroppers and pig farmers, in my old outfit that literally couldn’t read and write; they just knew how to make their marks.

God knows they had no standards at all back then. If you had a pulse you qualified. Thye were shipping us home by the hundreds a week in body bags, by the thoudands a week on medivac flights. A lot of guys joined on the Judge Plan, where they chose the army instead of jail time. Some ended up wishing they'd done the jail time.

No, I'd say the force is a lot more professional now than ever. And they may have dropped standards here and there over the course of the last few years to beef up deployments, but nothing like what they were back in the "good old days" when every other troop was a stoner and you were just there to be cannon fodder. I think there's a lot more to this high suicide rate than a drop in standards.

Any problem like this has a myriad of contributory factors.

[flyboy56]

By all means, attempt to blame the parents of the soldiers that have committed suicide. RWNJ continuing to spin off into ridiculousness.

It does seem like this thread is attempting to blame something or someone for the high suicide rate of war vets so I offered my suggestion. Nothing right wing or any wing about it. Unless someone comes up with a pill that effectively erases all of the bad memories of war I don't think there really is a solution. Tough guys weak guys they all suffer. Some just hide it better. I can't begin to image what being in a war would be like. And I thank God for that.

[sigmalady]

Also from the linked article:

The Pentagon says that although the military suicide rate has been rising, it remains below that of the civilian population. It says the civilian suicide rate for males aged 17-60 was 25 per 100,000 in 2010, the latest year for which such statistics are available. That compares with the military's rate in 2012 of 17.5 per 100,000.

[sage]

Also from the linked article:

Of course, there are more civilians on the poisons!

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