Military Suicide Risk Not Linked To Deployment, DOD Study Says

 

Soldiers who deploy to overseas wars are no more likely to commit suicide later in life than military personnel who remain at home, say Department of Defense researchers. Suicide risk for soldiers is still 41 percent to 61 percent higher than the rate among civilians, but a new study of nearly four million U.S. military service members may clear up debate about whether deployment is a meaningful factor in evaluating a soldier’s suicide risk.

A possible link between deployment and suicide was first raised as the suicide rate among soldiers increased by 80 percent from 2004 to 2008, during a period when American soldiers were deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the first half of 2012, the number of soldiers that the military lost to suicides was higher than those killed in combat. Two analyses published by the Department of Defense over the past two years had found conflicting results on this matter and the scope of each was limited. That disagreement provided the impetus for a study led by Mark A. Reger of the National Center for Telehealth and Technology at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington.

Read more...
http://www.ibtimes.com/military-suicide-risk-not-linked-deployment-dod-study-says-1866538

Learn more...

www.battlingthestormwithin.com