Over The Past 5 Years, Active-Duty Suicides Have Been On The Rise

Editor’s Note: This hour discusses suicide, and contains audio that some listeners may find disturbing or offensive.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting 741741.

With Meghna Chakrabarti

Over the past 5 years, active-duty suicides have been on the rise. In 2018, there were 541 service members who died by suicide. And from 2013 to 2018, the suicide rate increased from 18.5 to 24.8 suicides per 100,000 service members, according to the Pentagon’s annual suicide report.

“This increase was attributable to small increases in the number of suicide deaths across all services,” the report reads.

Aboard the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, three Navy crewmen died by suicide in just one week.

“My heart is broken,” one of the ship’s commanding officers, Captain Sean Bailey, said. “We need all hands to engage … to prevent another suicide.”

While the three cases occurred off-base, in different locations, the suicides represent a larger mental health issue inside the U.S. military.

Current and former military service-members, as well as specialists on the subject, joined the show Wednesday to look at what’s behind these rising rates in the military.

“Just because you know that the resources are there, does not mean you feel comfortable going forward,” Meghann Myers, Pentagon bureau chief for the Military Times, told On Point’s Meghna Chakrabarti. “People will not take advantage of all of these services ⁠— and all of the training that they have available to them — if they don’t think they’re going to have a good outcome.”

Guests

Shawn Peacock, formerly with the Navy as an MM2 (Machinist’s Mate 2nd class), or an E-5. Stationed on the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush from 2011 to 2016. He runs the Facebook group “Decelerate Your Life.” (@deceleratedlife)

Meghann Myers, Pentagon bureau chief for the Military Times. (@Meghann_MT)

James Helis, director of Army SHARP, Ready & Resilient directorate. Retired Army colonel, retired rear admiral in the United States Maritime Service and former Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

Dr. Eric Caine, professor of psychiatry and co-director at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He studies suicide prevention nationally and internationally, including among veterans and the military.

From The Reading List

Military Times: “Active duty suicides are on the rise, as the Pentagon works on new messaging and strategy” — “The rate of active duty service members who take their own lives has been rising an average of 6 percent year-over year the past five years, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

“The number of suicides jumped from 285 to 325 between 2017 and 2018, according to the 2018 Annual Suicide Report, for a rate of about 22 suicides per 100,000 service members to about 25. Officials did not draw any conclusions about why the numbers continue to rise despite efforts to train commands and troops on preventing suicide and seeking behavioral health care.

“Although the suicide rate among most of our military populations is comparable to broader civilian rates, this is hardly comforting, and our numbers are not moving in the right direction,” Elizabeth Van Winkle, the Defense Department’s executive director of force resiliency, told reporters in an off-camera briefing.

New York Times: “Three Suicides in One Navy Ship’s Crew Point to a Growing Problem” — “A cluster of three suicides in less than a week among one ship’s crew has shocked the United States Navy, raising questions about why the suicide rate in the service has climbed sharply in recent years, despite sustained efforts at prevention.

“The three deaths were all sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which is in dry dock in Norfolk, Va., for extensive repairs.

“‘My heart is broken,; Capt. Sean Bailey, commanding officer of the George H.W. Bush, wrote on Monday in a Facebook post, announcing the deaths among his crew.

“‘These deaths mark the third, fourth, and fifth crew member suicides in the last two years,’ Captain Bailey wrote. ‘Now is the time to come together as a crew and as a family to grieve, to support each other, and to care for those in need.’ ”

Washington Post: “U.S. military’s suicide rate for active-duty troops up over the past five years, Pentagon says” — “The U.S. military’s suicide rate among active-duty service members has climbed over the past five years, according to a Pentagon report released Thursday, as defense officials acknowledged a troubling rise that they said was similar to national trends.

“Some 541 service members died by suicide in 2018, including 325 active-duty troops, the report said. The active-duty suicide rate was about 24.8 per 100,000 service members, up from 21.9 in 2017 and 18.7 in 2013.

“‘Although the suicide rate among most of our military populations is comparable to civilian rates, this is hardly comforting, and our numbers are not moving in the right direction,’ Elizabeth Van Winkle, the Pentagon’s executive director of force resiliency, told reporters on Thursday.

“Service members who die by suicide continue to be mostly male, white and under the age of 30, said Karin Orvis, director of the Pentagon’s defense suicide prevention office. The Army and Marine Corps, the services with the highest suicide rates, also have the greatest percentage of men.”

Hilary McQuilkin produced this hour for broadcast.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2019 NPR]