The number of active-duty U.S. soldiers dying as a result of suicide is increasing and may exceed last year’s numbers and that of the overall general population, according to several sources.
The suicide numbers haven’t been this high since what was deemed as America’s most unpopular war — Vietnam.
According to CNN, U.S. Army soldiers inflicting injuries to themselves or attempting suicide has dramatically increased since the start of the Iraq war. With African-Americans accounting for nearly 25 percent of all enlisted Army soldiers while only constituting 13 percent of the overall population, this may have a huge impact on Black soldiers.
“When you look at the number of people coming out of the service, you can see disproportionately a lot of them are African-Americans. There are about 2.5 million Black veterans living in the U.S. today,” said Joe Armstrong, a state representative from Tennessee and chair of the Health Committee for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.
Armstrong argues that both active duty soldiers and veterans are having a hard time adjusting to life back home and dealing with the stress associated with wartime.
According to a source in the Washington Post, legal and financial troubles, failed relationships and high stress are factors linked to suicide, yet Armstrong says there is a vital piece to this equation — mental illness. It is one that previous studies show has dramatically increased in the African-American demographic due to lack of diagnosis or misdiagnosis.
Andrew Morrison, M.D., a psychiatrist at Adult & Child Care Mental Health Center in Indianapolis, says mental illness is any psychological or emotional disturbance that is severe enough to interfere with one’s functioning.
HealthPlace says the suicide rate among Black men has doubled due to denial of mental heath disorders, making suicide the third leading cause of death for Black men between the ages of 15 to 24.
“This attributes to higher suicide rates. Anytime someone gets to the stage where there is depression or some type of mental health problem, whether it’s bipolar or schizophrenia, something needs to be done,” Dr. Morrison said. “If these things are caught and treated early, it wouldn’t get to that level, which just shows we are not intervening in their lives quick enough.”
A military official told the Washington Post that the merit of Army programs already in place, such as suicide prevention methods, are not having a lasting impact.
The Washington Post released data stating 93 active-duty soldiers had committed suicide through August of this year, while last year 115 killed themselves.
Elizabeth Boyle, director of Crisis and Suicide Intervention Service at Mental Health of Greater Indianapolis, says intervention programs are vital in the success of leading someone to make a better decision or to guide them to the services they need.
“Many people who are suicidal are depressed,” Boyle said. “This is a big factor along with alcoholism or other substance abuse, relationship issues or being faced with humiliation and failure when troops come back. We listen to what the caller has to say and address the necessary method for help.”
Morrison, though uncertain about suicide hot lines, was adamant about intervention drug methods.
“Treatment has been shown to decrease the rate of suicide. This has been shown in research follow-up studies with populations that have been treated versus those that have not,” Morrison said.
Whether intervention services may or may not be effective, the fact remains the increase of suicides by active-duty soldiers is rising despite the number of programs the military has in place to prevent them.
With the correlation between mental health and suicide, Morrison says it’s significant the African-American community deals with mental illness as a whole.
“We are less likely to treat mental health issues. We need to try and eradicate any stigma to those seeking the treatment they need to reduce these ills,” Morrison said.
If you or someone you know may be suffering from suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-8255.
