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Deployments and suicide

The military suicide epidemic is largely perceived as being suffered only by those who have served on the ground.

However, in a Jan. 12 speech at a suicide-prevention conference held by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said that the entire military is in the midst of an increase in service members taking their own lives.

“As I look at the numbers for each service, the rates have gone up per capita at about the same rate over the past four or five years for every service,” he said.

The Corps reported 52 suicides in 2009, up 10 from the year before. In the Air Force last year, officials reported that 41 airmen killed themselves versus 38 the year before. In the Navy, 48 sailors committed suicide, seven more than a year earlier. The Army logged 160 suicides, up from 140. Suicides committed by young veterans also have risen steeply, according to preliminary VA data.

Experts say other factors in addition to deployment stress and combat experiences contribute to suicides, including drug and alcohol abuse. All the worse for the challenge facing military leaders because such unhealthy behaviors are on the rise in the ranks, too, according to a Defense Department survey of troops.

The scramble to end the rise in suicides has been hectic, and great amounts of resources have been thrown at the problem by people committed to helping troubled service members. But efforts so far just are not working. Ultimately, there is no getting around that the key is in reducing the stress of combat deployments. That may require approaches considered impractical: shorter deployments, more rest and recuperation from the war zones, drastically reduced work hours between deployments.

No proposed solution should be dismissed before real consideration. The military prides itself on its innovation — it is time to target that asset at the critical task of restoring the force to mental and emotional health.