We are learning that there is a serious problem in the ranks of our military. Since 2004 the suicide rate has been climbing. Previously, it was well below the rate in the civilian population for age and sex matched populations. However, the suicide rate in the military now exceeds the civilian rate.
To evaluate this problem the Army has joined with The National Institute of Mental Health to do research on the problem in hopes of finding treatable causes. This research project is called the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). They are studying 5,428 active-duty Army personnel. The study is scheduled to go until June 2015, but there are some early results that are being published.
What have they learned? In that group 13.9% have had suicidal thoughts, 5.3% made suicide plans, and 2.4% made a suicidal attempt. Upon evaluation 25.1% had the onset of at least one mental disorder during a study month. Of those, 12.8% were effected enough that they had severe impairment in their ability to function in their military role.
Strikingly, of those with a mental disorder 76.6% had the onset of their disorder prior to entering the military. Five mental disorders predicted suicide attempts while on active duty: panic disorder, PTSD, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and depression. I will discuss Intermittent Explosive Disorder in a later blog.
Does deployment to a combat area cause the increase in suicide attempts? While it probably plays a role, there has also been an increase in military personnel who have never been deployed.
Risk factors for suicide have been identified in this research project. In the civilian population women attempt suicide more often than men, but they don't complete suicide as often (probably because they tend to use less lethal means). In the military, women have a higher rate when deployed but not before. Otherwise, men have a higher risk. Other risk factors among the military include white race, low rank, recent demotion, and current or previous deployment.
In civilian life being married is protective so that married people are less likely to suicide. However, in this Army study, unmarried soldiers had a lower rate. This is thought to possibly be due to the stress on marriages that may be found in the military.
Some people have wondered if the increased suicide rate was related to accession waivers (relaxation of standards to enter the service) during surges when more soldiers were needed. The findings from this research show that that was not a factor.
All this shows that mental disorders are of major concern in the military. Not only are they the drivers of suicide, but they are now the second leading cause of visits to health care facilities and days away from the jobs. The leading causes are injuries. In fact, the number of days military personnel spend in hospital beds has doubled between 2006 and 2010.
The Army is to be commended for researching this important topic.
