Posted on Apr 4, 2016
Reserve suicides up 23 percent — active-duty count remains steady
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The number of active-duty personnel who died by suicide in 2015 declined slightly from 2014, but the reserve component, including the National Guard, saw a 23 percent increase, according to Pentagon data released Friday.
The Defense Department's fourth-quarter suicide report for 2015 said 266 active-duty service members committed suicide in 2015, down from 273 in 2014.
The number of Reserve component members who died by suicide — including those from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps reserves as well as Air and Army National Guard troops — rose to 209 from a four-year low of 170 in 2014.
Figures for the active component have remained relatively steady since peaking at 321 in 2012, but they are nearly double the number before the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The Defense Department has stepped up its suicide prevention and awareness campaigns in the past five years to reverse the climb in suicides, establishing the DoD Suicide Prevention Office in 2011 to spearhead suicide awareness and prevention efforts within the department and individual services.
The DSPO has an annual budget of $24 million. The Pentagon also is the largest single supporter of suicide prevention research, funding 61 studies in recent years at a cost of more than $100 million, according to a Rand Corp. report.
Suicide prevention training is mandatory in all five military services, including the Coast Guard, whose suicide statistics are not included in the Defense Department tally.
According to the report, 120 soldiers, 39 Marines, 43 sailors and 64 airmen died by suicide in 2015. The number of Air Force deaths marks the highest for the service in the past decade.
Among the reserves and National Guard, 88 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine reservists died by suicide in 2015, while 100 Army National Guard members and 21 Air National Guardsmen killed themselves.
Suicide prevention experts say the high number of reserve and National Guard deaths may be linked to fewer resources for these troops, who may not have the same access to support services and mental health care as active personnel.
The quarterly DoD reports are issued to “allow leaders at all levels to have near-concurrent information that facilitates decision-making” related to prevention. The 2015 report drew no conclusions about the figures other than noting that a decrease in the fourth quarter, and increase in the reserve component deaths, may warrant additional comparative analysis to see if the changes are statistically significant.
In-depth analyses of military suicides and attempts in a calendar year are issued annually by the Defense Department. The 2014 Department of Defense Suicide Event Report, which examined the rate of suicide in the services, demographic trends including age, gender, rank and marital status, as well as known or suspected causes of suicide behavior, was released in January 2016.
The Defense Department's fourth-quarter suicide report for 2015 said 266 active-duty service members committed suicide in 2015, down from 273 in 2014.
The number of Reserve component members who died by suicide — including those from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps reserves as well as Air and Army National Guard troops — rose to 209 from a four-year low of 170 in 2014.
Figures for the active component have remained relatively steady since peaking at 321 in 2012, but they are nearly double the number before the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The Defense Department has stepped up its suicide prevention and awareness campaigns in the past five years to reverse the climb in suicides, establishing the DoD Suicide Prevention Office in 2011 to spearhead suicide awareness and prevention efforts within the department and individual services.
The DSPO has an annual budget of $24 million. The Pentagon also is the largest single supporter of suicide prevention research, funding 61 studies in recent years at a cost of more than $100 million, according to a Rand Corp. report.
Suicide prevention training is mandatory in all five military services, including the Coast Guard, whose suicide statistics are not included in the Defense Department tally.
According to the report, 120 soldiers, 39 Marines, 43 sailors and 64 airmen died by suicide in 2015. The number of Air Force deaths marks the highest for the service in the past decade.
Among the reserves and National Guard, 88 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine reservists died by suicide in 2015, while 100 Army National Guard members and 21 Air National Guardsmen killed themselves.
Suicide prevention experts say the high number of reserve and National Guard deaths may be linked to fewer resources for these troops, who may not have the same access to support services and mental health care as active personnel.
The quarterly DoD reports are issued to “allow leaders at all levels to have near-concurrent information that facilitates decision-making” related to prevention. The 2015 report drew no conclusions about the figures other than noting that a decrease in the fourth quarter, and increase in the reserve component deaths, may warrant additional comparative analysis to see if the changes are statistically significant.
In-depth analyses of military suicides and attempts in a calendar year are issued annually by the Defense Department. The 2014 Department of Defense Suicide Event Report, which examined the rate of suicide in the services, demographic trends including age, gender, rank and marital status, as well as known or suspected causes of suicide behavior, was released in January 2016.
Reserve suicides up 23 percent — active-duty count remains steady
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL We all need to remember that suicidal behavior is a cry for help. If someone you know is talking about it, expressing survivors guilt, take it seriously.
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
CPT (Join to see) thanks for the response, well said and profoundly conveyed. The Army use the ACE acronym training model for all Soldiers, leaders and Army civilians. It is also available to family members. Soldiers have been completing ACE suicide awareness training on an annual basis for several years now. These Soldiers can probably tell you all of the warning signs and risk factors of suicide from memory, but is that awareness enough?
Preventing suicide is more than just knowing what puts Soldiers at risk for taking their life, it is all about ACE.
Ask is the most difficult challenge when facing someone you think may be suicidal. People fear asking the question "Are you thinking of killing yourself?" for several reasons. First, they may be afraid of offending their friend. In reality, your friend is more likely to be grateful that you care enough about them to ask the question and that you are aware of the pain they are going through. By asking the question, you are letting them know that they have a friend who is listening to them. A second reason we may not ask the question is that it is hard for us to believe someone we know or care about is considering taking that final step. Suicide is something that always happens to someone else. A third reason it is difficult to ask someone if they are suicidal is what if the answer is yes? What do you do? This fear can be overcome by familiarizing yourself with the resources available. Where is the nearest chaplain, behavioral health provider or emergency room? Knowing the answers to these questions will not only help alleviate the fear of getting a yes answer, but will help with the "escort" step in the ACE model.
Caring is the key to the whole ACE model. In fact, the model should be CAE, but that acronym doesn't make any sense and is not as easy to remember. When you care about someone you are likely to listen to them when they are experiencing emotional or physical pain. You are more likely to be concerned about their welfare and see that they get through whatever their trial may be. When you care about someone you think may be suicidal, it becomes much easier to ask the question, are you thinking of killing yourself? When you care about someone, you are more likely to find out what and where the local resources are and escort your friend to get the help he needs. It is not uncommon for individuals who are suicidal to feel alone, that no one cares whether they live or die. By actively listening and engaging with a friend you are showing that you care. That, in and of itself, may be enough to help prevent a suicide.
Escorting is the easiest step in the ACE model. At least it is easy when you already know what and where your resources are located. Take the time to find out where your local chaplain and behavioral health providers are. Find out where the nearest military treatment facility or emergency room is located. When you ask if someone is suicidal and they say yes, care enough to escort them to the nearest resource where they can get help.
For more information on suicide prevention:
Tri-Signed Army Proclamation Announcing Suicide Prevention Observance, http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/docs/ProclamationSept2011.pdf
Suicide Awareness video aimed at first line supervisors, http://www.army.mil/article/63934/Suicide_awareness_video_aimed_at_first_line_supervisors
Trainer Facilitation Guide, Shoulder to Shoulder: Finding Strength and Hope Together, http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/docs/S2S-2011FacilitationGuide.pdf
Trainer Presentation, Shoulder to Shoulder: Finding Strength and Hope Together, http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/docs/S2S-2011Training.ppt
Preventing suicide is more than just knowing what puts Soldiers at risk for taking their life, it is all about ACE.
Ask is the most difficult challenge when facing someone you think may be suicidal. People fear asking the question "Are you thinking of killing yourself?" for several reasons. First, they may be afraid of offending their friend. In reality, your friend is more likely to be grateful that you care enough about them to ask the question and that you are aware of the pain they are going through. By asking the question, you are letting them know that they have a friend who is listening to them. A second reason we may not ask the question is that it is hard for us to believe someone we know or care about is considering taking that final step. Suicide is something that always happens to someone else. A third reason it is difficult to ask someone if they are suicidal is what if the answer is yes? What do you do? This fear can be overcome by familiarizing yourself with the resources available. Where is the nearest chaplain, behavioral health provider or emergency room? Knowing the answers to these questions will not only help alleviate the fear of getting a yes answer, but will help with the "escort" step in the ACE model.
Caring is the key to the whole ACE model. In fact, the model should be CAE, but that acronym doesn't make any sense and is not as easy to remember. When you care about someone you are likely to listen to them when they are experiencing emotional or physical pain. You are more likely to be concerned about their welfare and see that they get through whatever their trial may be. When you care about someone you think may be suicidal, it becomes much easier to ask the question, are you thinking of killing yourself? When you care about someone, you are more likely to find out what and where the local resources are and escort your friend to get the help he needs. It is not uncommon for individuals who are suicidal to feel alone, that no one cares whether they live or die. By actively listening and engaging with a friend you are showing that you care. That, in and of itself, may be enough to help prevent a suicide.
Escorting is the easiest step in the ACE model. At least it is easy when you already know what and where your resources are located. Take the time to find out where your local chaplain and behavioral health providers are. Find out where the nearest military treatment facility or emergency room is located. When you ask if someone is suicidal and they say yes, care enough to escort them to the nearest resource where they can get help.
For more information on suicide prevention:
Tri-Signed Army Proclamation Announcing Suicide Prevention Observance, http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/docs/ProclamationSept2011.pdf
Suicide Awareness video aimed at first line supervisors, http://www.army.mil/article/63934/Suicide_awareness_video_aimed_at_first_line_supervisors
Trainer Facilitation Guide, Shoulder to Shoulder: Finding Strength and Hope Together, http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/docs/S2S-2011FacilitationGuide.pdf
Trainer Presentation, Shoulder to Shoulder: Finding Strength and Hope Together, http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/docs/S2S-2011Training.ppt
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That is very sad news SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL that the suicide rate within the reserve component, including the National Guard, saw a 23 percent increase last year.
I hope this trend will be reversed.
I hope this trend will be reversed.
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