Suicides rising in US military

August 3, 4:22 PMPortland Humanist ExaminerMicha J. Stone

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The number of military suicides continues to rise. US military leaders are trying to lower the suicide rate within the ranks. The high number of suicides by military personnel is driven in part by short breaks between deployment and post-deployment psychological issues. One thing for certain, the suicide rates reflect poorly on the overall emotional health in the military services.

The U.S. Army has commissioned the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct a study entitled: “Collaborative Study of Suicidality and Mental Health in the U.S. Army.” This ground-breaking study of behavioral health in the Army may provide some answers. The five-year, $50-million study of suicide and behavioral health among military personnel, launched in October 2008 in partnership with the National Institute on Mental Health, will try to understand stress and suicide in the US military..

Three things seem obvious:

One, there is within the military a stigma attached to seeking mental health help. The military needs to do everything possible to try and get rid of that stigma, but it won't be easy. Such a change will require a shift within military culture, a shift in how military personal relate to one another.

Two, the military needs to ease the process of coming home from deployment, Their is a problem with the assimilation of those who have served back into the general population. Returning soldiers often need help dealing with mundane, day to day issues. Their families, their spouses, their kids, their education, and/or their bills may become unmanageable or problematic upon their return.

Three, war is hell. Bring the soldiers home.