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WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of U.S. military suicides jumped 15% last year, fueled by significant increases in the military and marine corps that senior leaders have described as disturbing. They called for more effort to reverse the trend.
According to data released Thursday, there were 580 suicides last year compared to 504 the year before. Of these, the number of suicides by Army National Guard troops has jumped by around 35%, from 76 in 2019 to 103 last year, and the active-duty military has seen a increase of almost 20%. Marine Corps suicides have increased by more than 30%, from 47 to 62; while Marine Corps reserves fell from nine fatalities to 10.
“The results are disturbing,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. “Suicide rates among our military and military families are still too high and the trends are not going in the right direction. ”
Suicide has been a problem for a long time in the US military. While the causes of suicide are complex and poorly understood, military leaders have previously said they believe the COVID-19 pandemic is adding stress to an already strained force. Last year, troops were called in to help provide tests and later vaccines while battling the virus themselves and among family and friends. They also addressed continued deployments to war zones, national disasters and often violent civil unrest.
Behavioral research has linked military suicides to a range of personal issues, including financial and marital stress.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby admitted that the Defense Department could not fully explain the increase in suicides in recent years.
“One of the things that confuses suicide is that it’s often very difficult to connect the causal dots – which leads someone to make that decision,” Kirby said. “It is difficult to establish a specific causation with suicide on an individual basis, let alone on an institutional basis. And I think that’s why it’s so hard for us to talk about it with any specificity, except to say that we take it very, very seriously.
For several years, military leaders have sought to reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance.
That message was conveyed in a remarkable public statement last year by General John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said he asked for help while leading the US Strategic Command from 2016 to 2019. He did not disclose details but said he saw a psychiatrist – a rare public admission by a senior officer .
Army chiefs on Thursday called suicide a significant challenge for the service, noting that the trend has been on the rise over the past five years.
“While there is no clear understanding of what is causing the increase in suicides, we realize that we need to do better to prevent suicide and ensure that resources are available and easily accessible,” said Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and General James C. McConville of the Army. chief of staff, in a press release.
The total number of suicides in the Navy fell from 81 to 79, and the Air Force remained the same, at 109.
Defense officials told Pentagon reporters on Thursday that the suicide rate per 100,000 military personnel had not increased by a “statistically significant” amount, saying it was within the margin of error. Ministry data showed rates increased overall for active duty, custody and reserves, from two to seven suicides per 100,000.
Army Major General Clement Coward, acting executive director of the Force Resilience Office, said the department had not seen a “statistical change in suicide rates” to indicate the COVID pandemic -19 had had an impact.
But, he added, they are still studying the matter. “We have always known that COVID, and the measures to respond to it, presented unique challenges that would include risk factors for some people,” he said.
He and Karin Orvis, director of the department’s suicide prevention office, acknowledged that the general trend indicates that the department needs to do more to reduce the stigma of seeking help.
“Suicide prevention across our forces is the top priority,” Orvis said. “These trends do not rest well on me, nor the department. I fully realize that we still have work to do.
Enlisted men under the age of 30 were the most at risk for suicide, according to the Pentagon. While making up less than 42% of total strength, males under the age of 30 accounted for about 63% of suicide deaths.
By far the most common method of suicide was with a firearm, followed by hanging or asphyxiation.
Coward said military suicide rates were comparable to U.S. civilian rates. The use of a firearm was more frequent within the army than among the civilian population.
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