Soldier Suicides Outpace Combat Deaths

Depressing news of the day (from the NY Times):

The suicide rate among the nation’s active-duty military personnel has spiked this year, eclipsing the number of troops dying in battle and on pace to set a record annual high since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan more than a decade ago, the Pentagon said Friday.

Suicides have increased even as the United States military has withdrawn from Iraq and stepped up efforts to provide mental health, drug and alcohol, and financial counseling services.

The military said Friday that there had been 154 suicides among active-duty troops through Thursday, a rate of nearly one each day this year. The figures were first reported this week by The Associated Press.

Read more here

About ErikaChristakis

Early childhood educator/public health advocate/Harvard College administrator/ journalist. Uncommon sense for the common good. Unmarketable bachelor’s degree (Harvard, anthropology) Semi-marketable graduate degrees (Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania…). Career at the intersection of family, society, and schools. (Including pop-culture diversions and long stint in parenting vortex.) Forging a new path to connect all of the above.
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