Vet News: Army Releases October Suicide Data

The Army released suicide data today for the month of October.  During October, among active-duty soldiers, there were 20 potential suicides:  five have been confirmed as suicides, and 15 remain under investigation.  For September, the Army reported 15 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers:  four have been confirmed as suicides, and 11 remain under investigation.  For 2012, there have been 166 potential active-duty suicides:  105 have been confirmed as suicides, and 61 remain under investigation.  Active-duty suicide number for 2011: 165 confirmed as suicides, and no cases under investigation.

During October, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 13 potential suicides (nine Army National Guard and four Army Reserve):  three have been confirmed as suicides, and 10 remain under investigation.  For September, among that same group, the Army reported 16 potential suicides.  Since the release of that report one case was added for a total of 17 cases (13 Army National Guard and 4 Army Reserve); five have been confirmed as suicides, and 12 remain under investigation.  For 2012, there have been 114 potential not on active-duty suicides (75 Army National Guard and 39 Army Reserve):  83 have been confirmed as suicides, and 31 remain under investigation.  Not on active-duty suicide numbers for 2011:  118 (82 Army National Guard and 36 Army Reserve) confirmed as suicides, and no cases under investigation. 

“Suicide is preventable, and its prevention is a shared responsibility among all members of the Army family,” said Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command.  Rodriguez said that everyone is empowered to intervene and save lives, “effective intervention requires leadership involvement and support, an environment that promotes help-seeking for hidden wounds like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress and prior knowledge of available local and national resources.  We all must take the time to do a self-inventory to assess the presence and impact of stressors in our lives.  Of equal importance is the awareness of the needs of others around us.  There are no bystanders in our Army family.”

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.  Trained consultants are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and can be contacted by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or by visiting their website at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) at: http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf and Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/p600_24.pdf. 

The Army's comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.preventsuicide.army.mil. 

Suicide prevention training resources for Army families can be accessed at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/training_sub.asp?sub_cat=20 (requires Army Knowledge Online access to download materials). 

Information about Military OneSource is located at http://www.militaryonesource.com or by dialing the toll-free number 1-800-342-9647 for those residing in the continental United States.  Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource website for dialing instructions for their specific location. 

The Defense Center for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at [email protected] and at http://www.dcoe.health.mil. 

The website for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is http://www.afsp.org/ and the Suicide Prevention Resource Council site is found at www.sprc.org.