The loss of an American Soldier's life is a tragedy regardless of the reason. In the case of suicides, the U.S. Army is committed to providing the support and care necessary to overcome difficult times by providing resources to our Soldiers and their families, and Department of the Army Civilians. As leaders we are determined to provide targeted and tailored training, and to know our Soldiers so we may intervene and immediately provide treatment when necessary.
Our leaders are keenly aware of the stresses facing our Soldiers both on deployment and at home station, and have moved to address these issues on several fronts.
We have instituted the Deployment Cycle Support Program that provides active and Reserve Component Soldiers and their Family members with services to deal with the stress associated with a deployment.
The Army has had Combat Stress and Operational Control teams in place since the beginning of The Global War on Terrorism. They were among the first wave of forces in theater.
We have highly trained behavioral health providers serving side by side with our combat troops, providing the highest quality of care and service to our Soldiers in the field.
On March 1, the Army Medical Department stood up the Army Behavioral Health website: http://www.behavioralhealth.army.mil/ which is intended to be a comprehensive venue for Soldiers and family members to get information on a variety of mental and behavioral health issues. The site will continue to grow and expand as our behavioral health programs and issues change.
Also on March 1, the Army Medical Department stood up the AMEDD suicide prevention Office, which is committed to translating the results of surveillance and intervention into prevention and treatment programs.
The Army has taken the following additional actions to ensure the adequacy for suicide prevention programs within the Army:
+ Established a Department of the Army-led Suicide Prevention Task Force to integrate and synchronize initiatives and resources across the Army, identify trends, and provide recommendations to senior leaders, as appropriate.
+ Developed new suicide prevention training tools, incorporating real world vignettes depicting military personnel, and introducing training support packages that focus on intervention skills for use at the small unit level, where it has the greatest impact.
+ Provide Soldiers and leaders deployed and at home with training to recognize warning signs, intervention techniques for at-risk Soldiers, and referral processes to support agencies for appropriate follow on care.
+ Prevention measures have been established at the unit level. For example, when a Soldier displays suicidal ideation, a "unit watch" plan is instituted to provide monitoring at all times to ensure they are provided necessary support, care, and encouragement to facilitate a healthy recovery.
+ Another prevention technique is called "buddy care" which strongly encourages Soldiers to confide in and talk to friends and members of their unit particularly when personal problems arise. Soldiers with suicidal tendencies give clues and try to reach out, even if they don't directly state they are considering suicide. It is then the commander's responsibility to ensure that these individuals are sent to support agencies for appropriate help.
+ Deploying Soldiers undergo pre-deployment health assessments, post-deployment health assessment during the redeployment process, and post-deployment health reassessment after three to six months after redeployment. Additionally, screenings are done throughout the deployment phases to make sure all mental health needs are met.
It is crucial for leaders to decrease the stigma associated with seeking help, improve access to care, continuously incorporate suicide prevention training throughout the deployment and life cycle and encourage those who have displayed suicidal tendencies to immediately seek help.
Soldiers who are assessed by their buddies and leaders to be "at risk" may be sent to the chaplain for pastoral counseling, but if that does not meet the Soldier's needs, they are referred to behavioral health professionals. Both sets of professionals are trained to screen at-risk Soldiers and provide follow-on counseling and care.
Installation Management Command is working towards full implementation of a Community Health Promotion Council to synchronize and integrate programs, identify trends and make recommendations to Commanders based on local trends and issues.
We believe enhanced prevention training programs and growing commander emphasis have encouraged and enabled many interventions that have already resulted in saved lives.
STATISTICS AND TRENDS
The main stress indicators for suicide are failed relationships, legal/financial problems, and occupational/operations issues.
Army Suicide Rates
2003 (12.4 per 100,000 Soldiers)
2004 (10.8 per 100,000 Soldiers)
2005 (12.8 per 100,000 Soldiers)
2006 (17.3 per 100,000 Soldiers) (Rate includes two cases pending final determination by the Armed forces Medical Examiner)
Army Suicide Numbers
Total number of suicides
2003 (79)
2004 (67)
2005 (87)
2006 (99)
Total number of deployed suicides (both OIF and OEF)
2003 (26)
2004 (13)
2005 (25)
2006 (30)
Suicide rates for the Army over the past 27 years have varied, but average 12.6 per 100,000. The national rate is usually cited as 20 per 100,000.
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