Today, we launched a new data resource on Medill National Security Zone. Each month, we’ll present monthly and year-to-date data for military suicides within the Army, Navy and Marines. We also have links to data and resources for past periods, including 2012, which was a record year for military suicides.
Data for January:
The Pentagon on Friday confirmed 182 potential suicides among active Army troops for 2012 — a number that could wind up significantly higher than 2011 depending on how many cases still under investigation — 52 — are ultimately decided.
For 2011, there were 165 active-duty suicides and all cases are closed.
Numbers also could rise for non-active duty troops. For 2012, there were 143 potential suicides, of which 117 have been confirmed and 26 remain under investigation. In 2011, there were 118 confirmed suicides in the National Guard and Army Reserves, with the Guard making up about 70% of them.
The Associated Press and others earlier in January reported 349 potential active duty military suicides for 2012 across all military branches, including 182 in the Army — the largest share of all. The 349 total was a 16% increase over 2011.
SOURCE: On the Beat chart based on U.S. Army data
SOURCE: On the Beat chart based on U.S. Army data
Good Washington Post summary this morning of a new Veterans Administration report that examines suicides among veterans and finds numbers holding somewhat steady year-to-year; a substantial share of suicides are by vets 50 and older; and apparently little evidence of what some perceive as an “epidemic” in veterans taking their own lives.
From the Post:
“There is a perception that we have a veterans’ suicide epidemic on our hands. I don’t think that is true,” said Robert Bossarte, an epidemiologist with the VA who did the study. “The rate is going up in the country, and veterans are a part of it.”
The number of suicides overall in the United States increased by nearly 11 percent between 2007 and 2010, the study says. As a result, the percentage of veterans who die by suicide has decreased slightly since 1999, even though the total number of veterans who kill themselves has gone up, the study says.
SOURCE: Suicide Report 2012, Department of Veterans Affairs
We’ve assembled in our DocumentCloud the past four annual reports on military suicides from the Department of Defense that are chock full of data and details. The voluminous reports, known as “DodSERs” — Department of Defense Suicide Events Reports — started in 2008 to standardize reporting across military branches.
The reports, along with supplemental updates, are also available from the National Center for Telehealth and Technology.
Cover of the 2011 report is below.
To put a face on the latest news about military suicides, here is a video about Janos Victor Lutz, who killed himself earlier this week in South Florida.
From the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
“As a machine gunner in the U.S. Marine Corps, John Lutz survived combat tours in Afghanistanand Iraq while earning 13 service commendations and the respect of his buddies.
“He was a Marine to the fullest,” said fellow Marine Kevin Ullman. “He was someone who could lighten any situation with witty sarcasm.”
“Ultimately, however, Lutz could not escape the demons he carried back home to Davie after his discharge 18 months ago.
” On Saturday, just hours after a lunch with his mother in which he chatted about his classes at Palm Beach State College, Lutz swallowed a handful of pills VA doctors had prescribed to help him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.
” Lutz died in his bedroom, in the house where he grew up. He was 24.”
While the Pentagon’s annual tally of military suicides for 2012 is officially expected any day now, early reports are there were 349 total self-inflicted deaths — up 16% over 301 the year before.
Those were the numbers the AP said it was given by a Pentagon source; others have confirmed them.
That the number for 2012 exceeded combat deaths (311) was a part of the buzz with the new numbers when they hit the wires earlier this week. But as time.com notes: “There are simply far fewer troops dying in combat now than at any time in nearly a decade. So it’s only natural that the number of suicides would overtake the number of combat deaths at some point.” (time.com graphic at bottom of post.)
Historically, the suicides ”began rising in 2006 and soared to a then-record 310 in 2009 before leveling off for two years,” AP said in its story. “It came as a surprise to many that the numbers resumed an upward climb this year, given that U.S. military involvement in Iraq is over and the Obama administration is taking steps to wind down the war in Afghanistan.”
“We are deeply concerned about suicide in the military, which is one of the most urgent problems facing the department,” Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith told the Washington Post. “We are committed to taking care of our people, and that includes doing everything possible to prevent suicides in the military.”
Interesting New York Times piece this morning about a budding strategy in Washington to help abet military suicides by focusing on private weapons, which are used in about half of the cases. Removing prescription drugs is also a potential tactic.
“[As] suicides continue to rise this year, senior Defense Department officials are developing a suicide prevention campaign that will encourage friends and families of potentially suicidal service members to safely store or voluntarily remove personal firearms from their homes.
” “This is not about authoritarian regulation,” said Dr. Jonathan Woodson, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. “It is about the spouse understanding warning signs and, if there are firearms in the home, responsibly separating the individual at risk from the firearm.” “
There is also legislation pending in Congress to amend an earlier law that is seen as preventing military officials from discussing weapons with troops.