News & Information - The Mercury - September 2008 Mercury

	PFC Leanna M. Goodrum, mental-health specialist for the 62nd Medical Brigade, speaks with a Soldier in Iraq. Combat stress control teams in theater are one of the Army's vehicles to prevent Soldier suicides. (Photo by PFC Eric J. Martinez/13th Public Affairs Detachment)

The Army is deploying a multitude of prevention programs as part of efforts to stop Soldiers from taking their own lives.

"Army leadership is committed to taking care of every Soldier regardless of whether they are ill, injured or have a psychological diagnosis," said BG Rhonda Cornum, assistant surgeon general for force protection. "But our responsibility really doesn't start and stop there. Just as we don't wait for Soldiers to get malaria, we employ a full range of prevention, mitigation and treatment strategies . We do all the things we can to prevent and reduce risk and then, if they still get the disease, we apply scientifically-tested and specific treatments to cure it, with the expectation of full recovery and return to the force."

Battlemind

For example, the Battlemind training program prepares Soldiers for a combat environment, Cornum said, adding that troops who've taken Battlemind training report fewer psychological health problems.

Last year, the Army initiated a chain-teaching program to educate all Soldiers and leaders about symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and mild brain injury, Cornum said. More than 900,000 Soldiers were trained.

Cornum saluted Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' decision to change Question 21 of the questionnaire for national security positions, regarding mental and emotional health. The revised question, she said, now excludes non-court-ordered counseling related to marital, Family or grief issues, or counseling for issues related to military service in a combat zone.

"So, the change was made because accessing professional help for those mental-health issues should not be perceived to jeopardize your career," Cornum said. "On the contrary, failure to seek care for those kinds of issues might actually increase the likelihood that your psychological distress could escalate to a more serious mental-health condition, and that more serious condition could, in fact, preclude an individual from performing those sensitive duties."

Transition

"War is hard on Soldiers and it can be even harder on Families," she observed. "When Soldiers return home, most will experience a readjustment period, but they will also experience a successful home transition."

Some returning service members will require short- or long-term counseling to assist in that transition, Cornum said, noting that situation is not unusual.

"We believe there is more to be done, and we are committed to maximizing prevention, as well as treating psychological health problems as they occur," Cornum said.

The Army Suicide Event Report said 115 Soldiers took their lives in calendar year 2007, the highest number of suicides since record-keeping began in 1980, according to officials. Army records show 102 Soldiers died by their own hands in 2006.

Most Soldiers that killed themselves were young and male, according to the report, with failed personal relationships cited as the number one cause. Most Soldiers that committed suicide did so at their home stations and not overseas. In fact, of the 115 Soldiers who killed themselves last year, 32 died in Iraq, while 4 died in Afghanistan. Drug or alcohol use was cited in 30 percent of the suicide cases.

The majority of the suicide cases last year did not have a known history of a mental disorder, according to Army documents.

The current active-duty Army suicide rate is 18.8 per 100,000 Soldiers, according to officials. The Army suicide rate goes down to 16.8 per 100,000 Soldiers when the reserve components are added. The adjusted U.S. population suicide rate is 19.5 per 100,000 people.

"Obviously, suicide is a very complex phenomenon with a lot going on," said COL Elspeth C. Ritchie, director of the Army Surgeon General's office for behavioral health. "The main motive for suicide is related to breakup of relationships, usually with a partner."

Other Soldier-suicide motivators include getting in trouble at work or elsewhere, Ritchie noted.

"A good first sergeant is one of the best screeners there is," Ritchie continued. She said staying connected is vital, and that many suicides take place when Soldiers change units and lose connectivity.

One too many

One Soldier suicide is too many, said LTC Thomas E. Languirand, who works in the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel office.

"We value each and every Soldier, and we look continually . at how we can put our policies and programs in place to help with the resiliency of our Soldiers and their Families to better enhance their life-coping skills," Languirand said. "And, we obviously believe that behavioral health is a very important, key part of preventing suicides in the Army."

Languirand observed that high operational tempo is causing stress across the Army's ranks.

"We understand that we are a force under stress, and we do the best that we can to mitigate those risks—not only the risks that you may associate with persistent conflict, but also the risks that are normal and prevalent in everyday society," Languirand said.

(Compiled from American Forces Press Service and Army News Service releases.)

From the September 2008 Mercury, an Army Medical Department publication.