Suicide and the United States Army:

Perspectives from the Former Psychiatry Consultant to the Army Surgeon General

Comments

Suicide and the United States Army:
dave turner

1/16/2013 5:55:18 PM

 How often are the notes left behind and day to day activities actually used in reasons why they are doing what they did?

PTSD and suicide
Bruce Neustadter

2/22/2012 1:27:20 PM

 I can appreciate that the issue of suicide among returning veterans has now taken the forefront of the news. However I think it is important to review the past decisions and statements made by Ms. Ritchie. In 2005 she was quoted by Medscape: Question Does the Department of Defense (DOD) yet have an estimate of the prevalence of PTSD in members who have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan? Dr. Ritchie: We have a number of different surveys. One done on troops in theater, the Mental Health Advisory Team II, was released in July 2005.[1] The prevalence of PTSD was 12% in women and 13% in men. Next Question:Medscape: Can you discuss the epidemiology and clinical correlates of suicide in the armed forces, and what measures are taken to prevent suicide among service members?Historically, we run about 10 to 12 suicides per 100,000 per year, which is lower than civilian rates, but every suicide is taken seriously. Several more years past before the Army acknowledged how many more veterans were taking their own lives (above the national average)and that PTSD was significantly under diagnosed.