Headline; "Army suicides at highest level in 26 years" Question; Is it correlation or causation?

Question

Here's the link. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20288335/
Are suicidal people more likely to serve in the military? Or does the military make people want to kill themselves?

Answer 1

Neither. It isn't about serving, there are lots of people who commit suicide who never saw the military. However, like I say below, there are lots of guns, with lots of live ammo over there. If you feel depressed or overstressed for a moment, you have easy access to a loaded weapon. That makes it much easier than for the average person.

It is the same reason that cops have a higher rate of suicide than other people. Easy access to loaded weapons. Plenty of people who probably wouldn't have to opportunity to kill themselves get to walk around with loaded weapons under great stress. Cops and military personnel can act on the impulses that other people under stress cannot. You note that the time there were high suicides before that (I'm guessing that the article has a typo in it, the gulf war was 16 years ago, not 26) was again in a zone where soldiers and Marines were under high stress, and had easy access to live ammo.

Suidce rate for general population 2000: 10.4/100,000
Suicide rate for police 2006: at least 18/100,000 (those are admitted suicides, lots of cops die "cleaning their gun" to protect the family, reputation, and benifits of the fallen officer)
Suicide rate for soldiers 2006: 19.5/100,000

The military is no more suicidal than the rest of the population, but, just like cops, they have ready access to very deadly weapons. The article is alarmist crap. Some little college girl who sucks down some pills or slashes her wrists but is found by her RA didn't commit suicide. A soldier who reverses his M16A2 will be far more successful.

Answer 2

It could be considered the cause, but in actuality it just the result of pushing people to their breaking points. Some these guys saw horrors every day and are on their 2 and third tours without a long break in between. The study determined that 50% of the suicides were amongst those soldiers suffering from PTSD.
There were never trained to see people blown apart by bombs and roads filled with blood. I sat in a recruiting office while waiting to get some posters for my pastor and I listened to the recruiting officer romanticize what it would be like and the money they young person would get for college. Chances are that kid might not make it back.
Without good mental health support in the field and on the "short breaks" they are being accorded, I fear that number will continue to grow as long as we have men and women fighting overseas

Answer 3

The way you worded it, neither. It's what these men and women are going through that is causing them to kill themselves. It is not the military that causes people to kill themselves, and there is psychological testing done in the military. When someone goes to the middle east, and fights, and kills people, and see people get killed, they develop something called PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder. This basically means that they have been through an extremely difficult/traumatic event, and it has affected them. Many of the soldiers also suffer from depression due to what they saw over there. Sadly, our government isn't doing enough to prevent these suicides. If we had mandatory psychological care when leaving and returning (that was paid for...military doesn't make a lot of money), it would significantly reduce the rate of suicides.

Answer 4

The military makes people want to kill themselves.

Repeated deployments, high stress conditions, infidelity by their mates.

I'm concerned that we will see domestic violence by service members increase exponentially once we finally do get out of Iraq. Bush & Co. have created a generation of military basket-cases at it is going to have a greater effect at home once this foolishness is completed.

I know a vietnam vet who served 2 tours of duty and still wakes up with nightmares 2-3 times a week. Think what soldiers who are serving 4-5 tours in Iraq are going to be like in the future.

Answer 5

I'd say that neither one is necessarily true. Lots of people commit suicide. LOTS. It is an overall life choice. It use to be stated that psychiatrists have the highest suicide rates. I know that may not be right anymore, I'm just trying to make a point. Of course being in the military may aid in someone's decision to commit suicide. Only because of the factors that play into their job-- deployments in war zones, being away from their families, heavy mental burdens of military life. I don't think that someone commits suicide just because the don't like their job, though. It is much bigger than that. I don't think that we can make such a broad generalization.

Answer 6

The rate is 17 in 100,000 in the Army, the average rate in the US for 20 to 24 year olds is 13.6 in 100,000. It is a little higher in the military. With the fact that you have easy access to a firearm in the Army you will have more successful attempt, for most people in the US who attempt it fail.
The rate then is just about the same for the rest of the population in general.

Answer 7

It's both obviously! Some of the suicides are contrived to make a murder look like some thing else! A lot of women in the combat areas are being raped and killed then listed as mia or kia or suicide! Do you want to be the next statistic?

Answer 8

It has to do with people not realizing what they're getting themselves into when they decide to enlist. They figure; a nice cozy job, no field time collecting a decent paycheck and not having to do much in order to get it. Then reality sets in: Iraq & Afghanistan. It's either their first time really being away from home, and they can't cope; or they just got a "DEAR JOHN" e-mail or letter, and can't cope.

Article said it's the highest since Desert Storm in 1991. The first real deployment of troops since Vietnam. I was in Desert Storm in 1991, I was in Bosnia in 1996, I was in Iraq in 2005-2006, and I'm getting ready to go back again. I'd much rather KILL the other guy, than kill myself.

Answer 9

One tour of duty is enough. I know, I did it. More than (12) months is criminal. You can only take so much stress; we are human not robots. Support the troops but kick the politicians and war profiteers in the a...s. Bring those Young people home so they can start a life for themselves and for God's sake give them good, respectful treatment at the Veterans hospitals and clinics. They make you feel like s...ht.

Answer 10

i say both, killing in the name of profits for the leaders of your country, haunts a person,,,,

fighting for a cause that is true and just will have very few suicides.... but most wars are for greed....

there is no psychological counseling for this issue, except for a person to be self-aware and truthful, which the military does not want, they would not follow orders... a well person must put their own conscience first, which goes against the very principle of the military...