WASHINGTON, : US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has said that suicide is a growing problem in the military community, and its leaders must be committed to reversing that trend.
In an address to an audience of more than 1,000 military and other government agency health-care workers and officials gathered for the 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, Mullen said that while he recognizes the challenge the armed services have had in combating suicide while waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s a challenge that can’t be overlooked.
“The subject of suicide is one of tremendous difficulty and challenge and understanding, and there have been a lot of people who have worked on this diligently for many, many years,” the chairman said. “Certainly, with the rise in the numbers in all the services since these wars, [Defense Department officials have] started to really look at the causes and get to a point where we can prevent this and understand this.”
Despite a lack of a clear link between repeated deployment cycles and service member suicides, the admiral urged the audience not to count that factor out. “Dwell time” at home between deployments over the next couple of years, he said, will begin to increase for the Marine Corps, but not for the Army. So health-care professionals need to be mindful of that and continue learning, he said.
The suicide rate in all four services was higher than the national average, with 52 Marines and 48 sailors taking their own lives in 2009, according to the individual services’ annual reports. As of November, 147 soldiers had fallen to suicide. The final 2009 figures for the Army are expected to be released tomorrow. Air Force officials reported 41 active-duty suicides, a 12.5 per 100,000 ratio, in 2009.
Mullen stressed that in addition to the high rate of suicides among the ground forces, the increasing rate is evident among the entire military.
Suicide is a growing problem that leaders have to commit to, and experts who study suicide prevention must help those leaders understand the causes, Mullen said. The military’s leaders are eager to implement programs and better prevention measures, he added. INP
In an address to an audience of more than 1,000 military and other government agency health-care workers and officials gathered for the 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, Mullen said that while he recognizes the challenge the armed services have had in combating suicide while waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s a challenge that can’t be overlooked.
“The subject of suicide is one of tremendous difficulty and challenge and understanding, and there have been a lot of people who have worked on this diligently for many, many years,” the chairman said. “Certainly, with the rise in the numbers in all the services since these wars, [Defense Department officials have] started to really look at the causes and get to a point where we can prevent this and understand this.”
Despite a lack of a clear link between repeated deployment cycles and service member suicides, the admiral urged the audience not to count that factor out. “Dwell time” at home between deployments over the next couple of years, he said, will begin to increase for the Marine Corps, but not for the Army. So health-care professionals need to be mindful of that and continue learning, he said.
The suicide rate in all four services was higher than the national average, with 52 Marines and 48 sailors taking their own lives in 2009, according to the individual services’ annual reports. As of November, 147 soldiers had fallen to suicide. The final 2009 figures for the Army are expected to be released tomorrow. Air Force officials reported 41 active-duty suicides, a 12.5 per 100,000 ratio, in 2009.
Mullen stressed that in addition to the high rate of suicides among the ground forces, the increasing rate is evident among the entire military.
Suicide is a growing problem that leaders have to commit to, and experts who study suicide prevention must help those leaders understand the causes, Mullen said. The military’s leaders are eager to implement programs and better prevention measures, he added. INP
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