Pentagon ‘Very Concerned’ With Military Suicide Trends; Effect of Pandemic on 2020 Rates Unclear

Article from USNI

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/01/pentagon-very-concerned-with-military-suicide-trends-effect-of-pandemic-on-2020-rates-unclear

Pentagon leaders are expressing new concern regarding the rate of suicide in active-duty service members, as the Department of Defense has seen a steady rise in cases over the last five years.

According to the 2019 Annual DoD report, released on Thursday, the overall rate of deaths by suicide across the services rose from 20.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2015 to 25.9 in 2019.

For the Navy, the rate has risen from a 2018 rate of 20.7 deaths per 100,000 to 21.5 per 100,000 in 2019, or an increase from 68 to 72 individual suicides.

For the Marines, the rate has fallen from a 2018 rate of 30.8 per 100,000 to 25.3 per 100,000 in 2019, or an increase from 57 to 47 individual cases. The Army rates held steady at about 29.8 per 100,000 from 2018 to 2019. The Air Force also saw increases, from a 2018 rate of 18.5 per 100,000 to 25.1 per 100,000 in 2019.

While the rates are lower than the general U.S. population of similar demographics, the overall trend matches a national increase in suicide.
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