GI suicide rate higher than civilians

GI suicide rate higher than civilians

Sun, 24 May 2009 02:13:48 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?i...onid=351020401


US servicemen have been proven more suicidal than the public at large over the past six years, a major American newspaper reports.

Since 2003, the army has witnessed a 60 percent rise in suicide rates -- a figure which exceeded that of the general American population, The Washington Post said on Friday.

The alarming figure and last year's unprecedented 140 cases of suicide have prompted the army to consider taking on more mental health and substance abuse counselors.

Military chiefs, directing overseas operations, have started holding gatherings to look into the causes.

Multiple secondments, long hours on combat duty, blundering health monitors, irresponsible prescriptions and dated questionnaires on the soldiers' health problems have been singled out so far as the chief reasons behind the increase.

"We probably don't know how many mental health care providers we need after eight years of war and three and four deployments," Chiarelli said briefing the Pentagon on the calamity.