Army Suicides Up Nearly 50 Percent from Last Year

by christiannewsjournal
military truck

The Pentagon is reporting this week that active-duty Army suicides have spiked 46 percent in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same time period last year.

The second-quarter numbers are the figures most recently available.

In this second-quarter time period, 50 active-duty U.S. Army personnel members perished by suicide, compared to 41 individuals in the second quarter of 2020.

The news is “even worse than the headline number would make it appear, since the active-duty suicide rate had already hit a new record in 2020,” as PJ Media noted in a piece about the developments.

Related: Suicide Is Not the Solution

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that more than 47,500 people died by suicide in 2019.

The highest rates, it also reports, “are among American Indian/Alaska Native and non-Hispanic White populations.Other Americans with higher than average rates of suicide are veterans, people who live in rural areas, and workers in certain industries and occupations, such as mining and construction.Young people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual have a higher rate of suicidal ideation and behavior compared to their peers who identify as straight.”

Also, the number of U.S. military personnel—both active and reserve—who died from suicide in the second quarter of 2021 was 139, compared to 130 individuals in the same time period last year, Fox News reported.

“Last month, the military released figures showing that suicides in the armed forces jumped by 15 percent last year, fueled by significant increases in the Army and Marine Corps that senior leaders called troubling,” Fox News also noted.

“They urged more effort to reverse the trend,” it added.

Here is more information about, and reaction to, this sad and very concerning mental health crisis among some of America’s best.

If you need help or know anyone who does, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). It is free and confidential, and you’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor in your area. For more information, visit the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

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—By CNJ Staff

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