Suicides Still A Problem For U.S. Army

Army statistics to be released Wednesday will show the first annual decrease in suicides among active duty soldiers in six years. But the news is tempered by a significant increase in the number of suicides among Army reservists and National Guardsmen who are not on active duty.

Without providing specific numbers, Army officials tell ABC News that the number of suicides among active duty soldiers for calendar year 2010 will be less than 2009’s record high of 162. Through November, 2010, 144 active duty suicides had already been recorded, National Guardsmen and Army reservists mobilized to active duty are included in this number.?

But a tough year was made even tougher by the sharp increase in 2010 in the number of suicides among National Guardsmen and Army reservists not on active duty.

The Army keeps a separate record of suicides among Army reservists and National Guardsmen who have not been mobilized and are not on active duty. Through November, 2010, there were 122 suicides among these citizen soldiers. That’s a significant increase over the 82 suicides among this group in 2009.

Taken together, the 266 total Army suicides through November, 2010 is already higher than the 244 suicides for all of 2009.

The increase has been of mounting concern to senior Army officials who worry about the access to mental health professionals these reservists may not have in the civilian sector. Reducing the number of suicides within the ranks is a top priority for the Army, but there are no easy answers as to what might lead a soldier to turn to suicide.

The reduction in the number of active duty suicides last year marks the first time since 2004 that there has not been an annual increase in their numbers.

The number of active duty suicides rose steadily to record highs the last two years despite significant Army-wide efforts to raise awareness among soldiers and improvements in access to mental health professionals.

Last summer Army vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli described to ABC’s Christiane Amanpour on “This Week” how difficult it is to track possible trends that might explain the suicides among active duty soldiers.

“Some of the things that we’re seeing in suicides is 60% of our suicides take place with our soldiers who are in their first term of enlistment,” said Chiarelli. He added, “There are a third to two-thirds that are occurring back home and about a third that are happening in theater (Iraq or Afghanistan).”

Whatever the reasons, the Army has mounted significant suicide-prevention campaigns to help soldiers spot the warning signs of suicidal behavior among their ranks. The latest campaign is called “Shoulder to Shoulder: I Will Never Quit on Life” and includes a 15-minute training video that features candid interviews with soldiers who have attempted suicide.

The Army has also partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health for a first of its kind five-year, $50-million research program to better understand why some soldiers are choosing suicide.

When the training video was released this summer, Chiarelli said in a separate ABC News interview that any progress in reducing Army suicides can be uneven. “It is extremely frustrating because even when you see the numbers go down in a month it – really doesn’t offer you anything,” said Chiarelli. “I mean, there’s still a needless loss of life that takes place.”