Soldier Suicide Rates Continue to Rise
Military, Scientists Work to Stem the Tide
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Suicides among active-duty soldiers in the US Army reached a 28-year high in 2008, continuing a 4-year trend that has persisted despite ongoing military efforts to curb such deaths.
In the face of these grim statistics, Army leaders are redoubling their efforts to address this problem and have recruited scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to probe the underlying causes of suicide in this population and identify effective interventions.
The annual number of suicides among soldiers on active duty in the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard has risen steadily from 67 in 2004 to at least 128 in 2008. The 2008 figure is likely to top 140 because another 15 cases are under investigation; about 90% of such cases ultimately are ruled to be suicides, said Master Sergeant Marshall Bradshaw, program manager of the Army Suicide Prevention Program, according to a transcript from a January …
