Male U.S. veterans have higher suicide risk

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON - Male U.S. veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide than people with no military service, and are more likely to kill themselves with a gun than others who commit suicide, researchers said on Monday.

The findings indicate that doctors and others who may treat U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan should be alert for signs of depression and suicidal tendencies, said lead researcher Mark Kaplan of Portland State University in Oregon.

The study tracked 320,890 U.S. men, about a third of whom served in the U.S. military between 1917 and 1994. The rest had no military background.

Those with military service committed suicide at a rate 2.13 times higher than the other men, but did not have a higher risk of dying from disease, accidental causes or murder, the study found.

“This is identifying a problem that deserves more attention,” Kaplan said in a telephone interview.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19187272/

[TwilightGardener]

1. One also has to think of who joins the military, though--it may not

be that military service itself is the cause (although it may exacerbate mental illness), but rather a symptom of someone running away from problems, having a fascination with guns/violence, looking for discipline or a "family" of some sort. There are many troubled young men who join up, from my husband's experience.

[dipsydoodle]

2. MSNBC must've just caught up / woken up

BBC mentioned it yesterday :

Vietnam war veterans were included in the survey
US war veterans are twice as likely to kill themselves as ordinary civilians, a study following 320,890 men found.
Researchers compared data between non-veterans and those who had served at some point between 1917 and 1994.
Men who were white, better educated and older than the other men appeared to be at higher risk, as did those with a physical or emotional disability

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6743249.stm

[MethuenProgressive]

3. The rate for active duty males is pretty damn high too.

"Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for active-duty personnel"
http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/39/24/5
(old link from 2004 - I'd wager it is higher now...)

[disndat]

4. Little do BushCo

care. The troops are just pawns on a chessboard to these thugs.