Posted on Mar 10, 2021
Why are Airmen 3-4X more likely to commit suicide than the civilian population when the Air Force screens for risk factors prior to entry?
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Common risk factor include:
Mental Health Issues
Criminal History
Substance Abuse Disorder
History of Abuse
Financial Issues
You might recognize these, because they are exactly what the military looks for before letting someone enlist/commission. Our suicide rate is equivalent to the prison population of the US (.04%), and 4X higher than the US suicide rate (.01%). If we are screening for these issues, shouldn’t we theoretically have a lower suicide rate than the civilian population? How do we have the same numbers as the prison population which consists of nothing but risk factors? I believe the common public outlook on military suicide is that it is largely due to combat stress or PTSD. However, we are having our highest numbers in peacetime. What would our suicide rate look like without screening?
Most interestingly, our training almost always paints the signs (social withdrawal, marital issues, alcohol abuse) as being tied to the individual, and not the military as a whole. I hadn’t realized this until a fellow NCO talked about it during an open discussion. He shared with us that he went through a period of time himself many years ago where he was contemplating suicide. He said: “Sitting through this training does even more damage for an Airman because it paints this issue as a problem with them, not a problem with our culture and environment. Like they’re somehow defective and everything is A-okay with the way things are going around them.”
Mental Health Issues
Criminal History
Substance Abuse Disorder
History of Abuse
Financial Issues
You might recognize these, because they are exactly what the military looks for before letting someone enlist/commission. Our suicide rate is equivalent to the prison population of the US (.04%), and 4X higher than the US suicide rate (.01%). If we are screening for these issues, shouldn’t we theoretically have a lower suicide rate than the civilian population? How do we have the same numbers as the prison population which consists of nothing but risk factors? I believe the common public outlook on military suicide is that it is largely due to combat stress or PTSD. However, we are having our highest numbers in peacetime. What would our suicide rate look like without screening?
Most interestingly, our training almost always paints the signs (social withdrawal, marital issues, alcohol abuse) as being tied to the individual, and not the military as a whole. I hadn’t realized this until a fellow NCO talked about it during an open discussion. He shared with us that he went through a period of time himself many years ago where he was contemplating suicide. He said: “Sitting through this training does even more damage for an Airman because it paints this issue as a problem with them, not a problem with our culture and environment. Like they’re somehow defective and everything is A-okay with the way things are going around them.”
Suicide
Mental Health
Resiliency
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 12
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There's an argument for causation vs correlation here.
Is the Air Force the cause? Or is it the type of person that joins the Air Force that's the bigger variable?
Perhaps the issue is that the people who join the Air Force are the type that want the benefits of joining the military, with no expectation of hardship or difficulty (that's your reputation as a branch, get over it). It's entirely likely that the Air Force is blameless, and those individuals wouldn't have succeeded in the other, harder braches either...
Is the Air Force the cause? Or is it the type of person that joins the Air Force that's the bigger variable?
Perhaps the issue is that the people who join the Air Force are the type that want the benefits of joining the military, with no expectation of hardship or difficulty (that's your reputation as a branch, get over it). It's entirely likely that the Air Force is blameless, and those individuals wouldn't have succeeded in the other, harder braches either...
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SFC Michael Hasbun
TSgt (Join to see) - I don't think it's as mysterious as you think it is. The Navy/Marine Corps have the second largest Air Force in the world in their aviation component, and the Army Aviation BDE's are much larger than a great many countries Air Force's as well.
All the branches do air operations. It's normal to us too...
All the branches do air operations. It's normal to us too...
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TSgt (Join to see)
SFC Michael Hasbun - We work alongside all 3 lol I'm aware. Sortie generation rates per aircraft are much higher for the AF, for obvious reasons. I always wanted to get an Army assignment because I know for a fact they get to close their airfields on nights/weekends/holidays while the AF is open 24/7 on most bases. Navy can put up some crazy numbers with their carriers though, I've seen them pull over 100 sorties a day for a week straight during exercises.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
TSgt (Join to see) - As for why suicide rates go up when deployments go down, it is because all of those folks who have those invisible psychic wounds finally have a chance to wind down and decompress.
Think of it like a deep knife wound, with the knife still in place. Running around the battlefield with a knife in you is going to cause the wound to get worse and worse. But the SEVERE danger comes when you pull the knife out. Going through that battle trauma and getting those psychic wounds is bad. But while you are running around the battlefield, making those injuries slowly worse and worse, at least you aren't releasing the pressure an allowing them to wreak havoc. Once those folks get back and have time to let their guard down, THAT is when things get really real, really quick.
And it isn't necessarily a post-deployment thing, it is a post-deployment "period" things. For a long time, most units were coming back off of deployment, reconstituting, and immediately spinning back up into deployment prep and re-deploying. I was stationed on Hawaii for 42 months - I spent 11 on island. The rest was either actively deployed to combat, or off island for extended periods of training. My time at Fort Knox was the opposite - I arrived when the unit had 4 months left of deployment, so I didn't deploy with them. When I PCSed 23 months later, the unit had been deployed for 5 months, but I already had a mission critical assignment locked in, so I didn't deploy with them. They spent 13 months back stateside between their 12 month deployments. Soldiers in those situations of back to back deployments rarely truly decompress. It is only once they go to that "take a knee" assignment where deployment is no longer on the immediate horizon, or they start looking at ETS / Retirement that they allow themselves to really let their guards down.
I came about 5 feet from death on my third Iraq. I luckily picked the right side of a HESCO barrier to huddle against as 107mm rockets impacted about 30 feet away. Had I been on the opposite side, there is a high probability I would not have survived. An even higher probability that I would have been either severely injured or dead. I was lucky enough to escape with just a concussion. From there I PCSed to the Fort Knox unit, where I was VERY busy working a job two ranks above my pay grade because - Rear D, and then knee deep in training the unit for their upcoming deployment. Once they left, I was again knee deep in rear D. Once I PCSed to my "take a knee" assignment, and I got "settled" there, THAT is when depression set in. I was not suicidal, and I did not attempt suicide - but I wouldn't have jumped out of the way of a bullet or speeding train, either. Luckily, I recognized the issues and went and got help, and I am doing pretty OK these days (as long as I remember to take my meds).
The easiest way to keep someone from committing suicide is make sure they don't have the time to do it - and the Army has gotten VERY good at making sure Soldiers have no free time - until they do.
Think of it like a deep knife wound, with the knife still in place. Running around the battlefield with a knife in you is going to cause the wound to get worse and worse. But the SEVERE danger comes when you pull the knife out. Going through that battle trauma and getting those psychic wounds is bad. But while you are running around the battlefield, making those injuries slowly worse and worse, at least you aren't releasing the pressure an allowing them to wreak havoc. Once those folks get back and have time to let their guard down, THAT is when things get really real, really quick.
And it isn't necessarily a post-deployment thing, it is a post-deployment "period" things. For a long time, most units were coming back off of deployment, reconstituting, and immediately spinning back up into deployment prep and re-deploying. I was stationed on Hawaii for 42 months - I spent 11 on island. The rest was either actively deployed to combat, or off island for extended periods of training. My time at Fort Knox was the opposite - I arrived when the unit had 4 months left of deployment, so I didn't deploy with them. When I PCSed 23 months later, the unit had been deployed for 5 months, but I already had a mission critical assignment locked in, so I didn't deploy with them. They spent 13 months back stateside between their 12 month deployments. Soldiers in those situations of back to back deployments rarely truly decompress. It is only once they go to that "take a knee" assignment where deployment is no longer on the immediate horizon, or they start looking at ETS / Retirement that they allow themselves to really let their guards down.
I came about 5 feet from death on my third Iraq. I luckily picked the right side of a HESCO barrier to huddle against as 107mm rockets impacted about 30 feet away. Had I been on the opposite side, there is a high probability I would not have survived. An even higher probability that I would have been either severely injured or dead. I was lucky enough to escape with just a concussion. From there I PCSed to the Fort Knox unit, where I was VERY busy working a job two ranks above my pay grade because - Rear D, and then knee deep in training the unit for their upcoming deployment. Once they left, I was again knee deep in rear D. Once I PCSed to my "take a knee" assignment, and I got "settled" there, THAT is when depression set in. I was not suicidal, and I did not attempt suicide - but I wouldn't have jumped out of the way of a bullet or speeding train, either. Luckily, I recognized the issues and went and got help, and I am doing pretty OK these days (as long as I remember to take my meds).
The easiest way to keep someone from committing suicide is make sure they don't have the time to do it - and the Army has gotten VERY good at making sure Soldiers have no free time - until they do.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
SSG Nathan Stryker - Thanks. I try VERY hard to discuss real shit in relatable, understandable language. I am glad that my post was able to help you take a bit of a look at your own experiences.
(Pay it forward!)
(Pay it forward!)
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The short answer is that Service Members are withholding information for fear of damaging their careers or being judged due to the stigma of mental health within the military. You also have the issue with Military Mental Health Providers misdiagnosing SM's with anxiety instead of more appropriate terms due to the same stigma of mental health damaging careers. During my med board process I discovered that my Therapist labeled me as having anxiety because he didn't like diagnosing PTSD because it would draw attention. The VA had to confirm my PTSD diagnosis and make a formal statement in my records because what they were saying went against previous notations.
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To make sense of this I will make an assumption that this generations is much softer than ours.
- The front end is this: How relevant are the questions. Suppose one of the screening questions is have you ever thought of committing suicide? They might say no, but back to the assumption. They are more susceptible to stress and anxiety because they are softer.
- The back end is this: What is the efficacy of the Air Force's treatment for PTSD and Depression?
- The front end is this: How relevant are the questions. Suppose one of the screening questions is have you ever thought of committing suicide? They might say no, but back to the assumption. They are more susceptible to stress and anxiety because they are softer.
- The back end is this: What is the efficacy of the Air Force's treatment for PTSD and Depression?
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SFC Casey O'Mally
Sir,
I don't really think it is a question of "softness." We all pretty much understand that "The greatest generation" was tough as woodpecker lips. But they had their share of "shell shock." The next generation - Vietnam vets - are WELL documented with their PTSD and substance abuse issues. Desert Storm vets don't appear to have too many issues (at least not mental health ones), but the war lasted like three days. And now we have the Global War on Terror.
It isn't really a question of how "hard" or "soft" a Soldier is. Confucius said that "The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm." It isn't about strength, but about resilience. About the ability to adapt to whatever life throws at you - and do so HEALTHILY.
Today's generation has, in general, had less cause to TEST their resilience growing up. Which means that many of those who are NOT resilient have not been weeded out prior to joining up. This generation is just as resilient, but more of the unresilient folks are making it into the military ranks, because they haven't yet discovered their lack of resilience. WWII Soldiers were tested by the depression. Those who couldn't cut it never made it to enlistment or were turned down by the draft board.
I don't really think it is a question of "softness." We all pretty much understand that "The greatest generation" was tough as woodpecker lips. But they had their share of "shell shock." The next generation - Vietnam vets - are WELL documented with their PTSD and substance abuse issues. Desert Storm vets don't appear to have too many issues (at least not mental health ones), but the war lasted like three days. And now we have the Global War on Terror.
It isn't really a question of how "hard" or "soft" a Soldier is. Confucius said that "The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm." It isn't about strength, but about resilience. About the ability to adapt to whatever life throws at you - and do so HEALTHILY.
Today's generation has, in general, had less cause to TEST their resilience growing up. Which means that many of those who are NOT resilient have not been weeded out prior to joining up. This generation is just as resilient, but more of the unresilient folks are making it into the military ranks, because they haven't yet discovered their lack of resilience. WWII Soldiers were tested by the depression. Those who couldn't cut it never made it to enlistment or were turned down by the draft board.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
I disagree. I have seen many in this generation take the easy way out. They don’t push themselves mentally or physically as they live sedentary lives. SFC Casey O'Mally
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CPT (Join to see)
MAJ Ken Landgren - I think it comes down to them being to afraid of all the bluffs. Counseling statements scare the hell out of them. Unless something makes it to iPerm's or an NCOER/OER it is inconsequential!!!!!!!!!!
I knew a peer that was facing a letter of reprimand from an O6. His OER was completed, signed and accepted by HRC, and was TOP BLOCK. He just transferred outside of the CoC of said O6 and under a different 2-Star level. That OER was not getting changed. Not without a Congressional inquiry. He skirted the caustic situation he was in, and was saved by the system.
Nevertheless, an O6 letter of reprimand was potentially hanging over him. JAG told him in the event that happens it is not iPerm'd because it's only COL and not a General, and the OER is behind him. Whatever threats were aimed at him had no power to be carried into the future.
A few months later the LTC causing the issues was relieved of command for toxic leadership. Whatever my friend was worrying about scattered to the winds.
The point here is resilience. We get an annual brief about it, but continue to ignore that the military is the cause of that stress. No one points out that 90% of that stress is all a bluff.
The kids don't figure out it's all a bluff in Basic. He'll I didn't even know most of it was a bluff either (only the obvious, like recycling the entire class were obvious bluffs). Kids literally quit at the threat of a counseling statement. Yea, a stupid counseling statement from an E5.
Had they just rode it out, graduated BCT and went to AIT with their packet in hand they would have realized that the oh so scary Counseling Statement that's in "their file" is yes, literally in THEIR FILE. It's right there, in the file, the file IN THEIR HANDS!!!!!!!!!!! The hands that will hand it over to the AIT Cadre, but not before traveling across the country with them as sole custodian of said file.
So like the scary O6 litter of reprimand mentioned above the only thing preventing that BCT counseling statement from hitting the trash can is the soldier's hand itself.
"Kids these days" entered the military without those street smarts and many don't pick it up in BCT.
I knew a peer that was facing a letter of reprimand from an O6. His OER was completed, signed and accepted by HRC, and was TOP BLOCK. He just transferred outside of the CoC of said O6 and under a different 2-Star level. That OER was not getting changed. Not without a Congressional inquiry. He skirted the caustic situation he was in, and was saved by the system.
Nevertheless, an O6 letter of reprimand was potentially hanging over him. JAG told him in the event that happens it is not iPerm'd because it's only COL and not a General, and the OER is behind him. Whatever threats were aimed at him had no power to be carried into the future.
A few months later the LTC causing the issues was relieved of command for toxic leadership. Whatever my friend was worrying about scattered to the winds.
The point here is resilience. We get an annual brief about it, but continue to ignore that the military is the cause of that stress. No one points out that 90% of that stress is all a bluff.
The kids don't figure out it's all a bluff in Basic. He'll I didn't even know most of it was a bluff either (only the obvious, like recycling the entire class were obvious bluffs). Kids literally quit at the threat of a counseling statement. Yea, a stupid counseling statement from an E5.
Had they just rode it out, graduated BCT and went to AIT with their packet in hand they would have realized that the oh so scary Counseling Statement that's in "their file" is yes, literally in THEIR FILE. It's right there, in the file, the file IN THEIR HANDS!!!!!!!!!!! The hands that will hand it over to the AIT Cadre, but not before traveling across the country with them as sole custodian of said file.
So like the scary O6 litter of reprimand mentioned above the only thing preventing that BCT counseling statement from hitting the trash can is the soldier's hand itself.
"Kids these days" entered the military without those street smarts and many don't pick it up in BCT.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
CPT (Join to see) - Their world is different. You and I had real experiences. The kids now days get their experiences from the internet and the phone. In high school I played football, soccer, and wrestled. I considered the arduous practices as just a requisite part of my life. It toughened me physically and mentally. I understood I will would be challenged and I would suffer. I wanted to be the best. I did well academically as well.
I have met several young people who do not try their best. They skate through life with the philosophy just passing is admirable. Shit some of them can't even hack high school and opt to get a GED.
So my thesis is this. Some of them don't try their best, they don't suffer, and much of their experiences are not real due to the internet and their phones.
I have met several young people who do not try their best. They skate through life with the philosophy just passing is admirable. Shit some of them can't even hack high school and opt to get a GED.
So my thesis is this. Some of them don't try their best, they don't suffer, and much of their experiences are not real due to the internet and their phones.
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