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?

2021-03-10T13:04:05-05:00

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.”

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Mar 10 at 2021 1:09 PM

2021-03-10T13:09:56-05:00

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.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Mar 10 at 2021 1:36 PM

2021-03-10T13:36:47-05:00

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...

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2021 1:52 PM

2021-03-10T13:52:12-05:00

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member There are different approaches to the problem of suicide. A key element needs to include having resiliency training so that individuals are better prepared to handle the stresses of life.

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Mar 10 at 2021 2:34 PM

2021-03-10T14:34:09-05:00

I wonder if it's the endless mocking from the Army

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 10 at 2021 2:38 PM

2021-03-10T14:38:53-05:00

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?

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Mar 10 at 2021 3:25 PM

2021-03-10T15:25:37-05:00

How do the AF suicide numbers compare with those of other services? TSgt Private RallyPoint Member

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Mar 10 at 2021 3:58 PM

2021-03-10T15:58:39-05:00

I have a USAF friend who has PTSD and tried suicide once. You do understand that folks die in the USAF in combat right. He maintained F-111's had for several years in UK. His "plane went to bomb Libya- and didn't come home. There he sits odd duck out, his crew of sometime missing. Spouses, kids, family upset. and in the back of his mind forever- "Was this a MT prolem" or AA fire??.

Response by SP5 Peter Keane made Mar 10 at 2021 4:32 PM

2021-03-10T16:32:22-05:00

14.8 is civilian rate 25 t0 26 is AF rate, (Per 100K)) Where is the 3-4 times coming from ?

Response by Cpl Vic Burk made Mar 10 at 2021 7:59 PM

2021-03-10T19:59:38-05:00

Jumping ahead to those who make it through the process and actually enlist in the military. Things probably have changed since I was in back in the 70's. I am wondering if the military is not giving enough education to those in charge regarding recognizing the warning signs of someone who is at high risk for committing suicide. 98% of the time there are signs there it is just nobody realized it at the time.
I had a real awakening a few years back when I decided to take a class (it was only six hours, not months!) and get certified in "Youth Mental Health First Aid." I leaned a lot from that short class and how to recognize the signs and act on referrals to the appropriate personnel at my school to get these students help.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Mar 10 at 2021 8:16 PM

2021-03-10T20:16:50-05:00

Just because the military screens for issues prior to joining does not mean those issues cannot arise AFTER joining. And I would argue that military life lends itself PARTICULARLY well to mental health issues and abuse. It lends itself reasonably well to financial issues and substance abuse. So... yeah... maybe you answered your own question.

Response by Lt Col Jason Anderson made Mar 11 at 2021 10:35 AM

2021-03-11T10:35:54-05:00

If you look at the overall numbers, suicide has increased across the board over the past 20 years. Here is a graphic we put together that shows the relative differences over the years. These are the most recent numbers from the 2019 DoDSER and 2020 VA reports. As you can see, the number of DoD-related suicides has more than 2X in 20 years while the veteran rates are still significant but have not grown at the same rate.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 12 at 2021 12:40 PM

2021-03-12T12:40:42-05:00

I also think statistically the fact the military doesn't weed out the "strange ones" contributes to the numbers.

See............ anywhere else you apply for employment the interviewer can say regardless of on paper qualifications, "hmm......... this guy is a little off, and I know in my heart of hearts he's not going to fit in. So, I'm NOT going to hire him (no one can force me otherwise) even though he's a College Track Star with a 3.8 GPA college degree, and ASVAB lines scores 115+ across the board.

No where else in the world are you:
HIRED by someone that has no idea what you will be doing
TRAINED by a guy you aren't going to work for
WORK for a guy that didn't ask for you

Anyone that meets the standard gets hired (presuming they take any MOS).If they have a screw loose that's not the recruiter's problem. He's at least two degrees of separation from the solder after TRADOC.