(Bloomberg) “U.S. Army suicides rose 80 percent during the five years after major troop deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, surpassing the rate for similar civilians, according to a study.

“About 40 percent of the suicides in 2008 may be associated with deployments to those countries, according to the report published today in the journal Injury Prevention. The U.S. began committing troops in 2003. In 2008, the estimate of the rate for active soldiers was higher than the rate for civilians of similar age and sex.

“The increase is “unprecedented in over 30 years of U.S. Army records,” according to a statement by the U.S. Army Public Health Command, which focuses on promoting the health of soldiers, military retirees and their families. The Army Medical organization conducted the research.”

Full research report on Injury Prevention site.