Among American civilians, whites have historically and significantly led the way in the rates of suicides. Although leveling off after the 1990’s, the rate of white suicides has still been almost twice as much as minority groups. It has also been shown that males commit suicide significantly more than females.
Figure 1 Figure 2
As the rate of suicides increases in our nation, it has risen consistently with white males leading the way, as shown in figures 1 and 2. There are many theories behind what is driving this, however there are no hard facts behind any of these theories and there is still no concrete reason why white males are more prone to commit suicide.
A very important group within the American population has been
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Since 2009, suicide rates among those on active-duty status have stabilized at approximately 18 per 100 000. It is important to know the factors driving this increase for many reasons. The most important thing we can get from this is a better to way to both prevent and treat victims faced with thoughts of suicide.
Figure 3
A widely believed cause of this increase in suicides lies mostly on combat aspects. Being in the military is a lifestyle that is truly physically draining. The day to day life of being in the military is stressful. Multiple tours, increased stress, longer hours ‘repetitive deployments and much longer deployments, being away from friends and family more than in the past than in recent years can be believed to take a heavy toll on service members. The Rand Corporation issued in a report on military suicides that states that the US involvement in conflicts since 2001 has taken a toll on the service that has manifested itself in increased suicides. Dr. Brian Craig, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University Of Texas Health Science Center, says that it is not just the traumatic events but the day to day stressors of combat that cause problems. He is also the lead risk management advisor for the DOD Strong Star Research Consortium and found in his research that it is “not being able to sleep in a comfortable bed, not having access to warm,
There are an alarming number of veterans who suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. The suicide rate on returning veterans is on the rise. In California, service members were killing themselves and family members at an alarming rate. After an investigation, it was apparent that they do not have enough properly trained individuals to over see
Veteran suicide among our soldiers is a distressing and tragic reality. Per the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/Suicide-Data-Report-2012-final.pdf a staggering 22 veterans take their own lives each day. That's a suicide every 65 minutes. This is a heartbreaking truth that has not adequately received the attention it deserves from the civilian world. To add insult to injury http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-0202-veteran-suicide-20150402-story.html tells us that there are two key high-risk groups of soldiers who typically are ineligible for psychiatric care: those forced out of the military for misconduct and those who enlisted but were quickly discharged for other problems. In each of those groups, an average of 46 of every 100,000 former service members committed suicide each
Doctors are correlating it with the number of troops actually suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD and suicide in the military have become one of the biggest issues in the military in over the last decade. “New government research shows that female military veterans commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of other women, a startling finding that experts say poses disturbing question about the backgrounds and experiences of women who serve in the armed forces.” (Zarembo 1). This is surprising to researchers because the women’s numbers are starting to reach the men’s numbers which is surprising because men are generally far more likely than women are to commit suicide (Zarembo 2). This is because there are more men that serve in the military than there are women. It has always been like that because a long time ago women were not a loud to serve in the military. So of course the rate for men suicide in the military is going to be higher since it has only been recent that women are even a loud to be in the military and go to war and fight for what is also their country. The VA researchers found that 40% of female veterans who committed suicide use guns. This will make people ask if the help of gun control will lower the rate. Almost half of the women who commit suicide used the same weapon that brings them back to their old memories. Not only is the women’s rate rising but also the younger
Studies have shown that 8,000 soldiers are thought to die by suicide every year, thats Twenty-two per day(Military Bonds)! A study has also shown that fourteen percent of men have contemplated suicide, while a little over five percent had planned it out and two and a half percent had actually attempted it one or more times. The rate of major depression is five times higher than that of an average American(Military Bonds). Post Traumatic Stress disorder is a mental health condition triggered by the result of seeing something terrifying, it makes the person experience emotional distress, loss of interest, guilt, the inability to feel pleasure they may become irritable, aggressive and may not be able to sleep at night(Veterans Statistics). PTSD can also make the person have thoughts of suicide or unwanted thoughts. PTSD can occur over time after being home from a deployment and a study shows that nine percent of military personnel have PTSD shortly after returning home from a deployment, but looking at the same troops a year later thirty-one percent had claimed to suffer from PTSD(Veterans Statistics). A study shows that between five and twenty percent have had PTSD prevalence without help, but fifty percent of people who seek help prevailing over the mental illness(Veterans Statistics) PTSD is the third most prevalent psychiatric
The New York Times reported recently that suicides are on track for becoming the most common cause of death for members of the military in 2012, higher than the number dying in combat (Williams, 2012). Although suicides have occurred in all branches of the U.S. military, the Army accounts for a full 53% of the total number (AFHSC, 2012a, p. 7). The stress of combat is believed to one of the primary contributing factors to the dramatic increase in suicides among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Suicide attempts are highest among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) females, followed by AI/AN males, and are lowest among African American and White adolescent males. Due to shame and the value placed on not looking weak in the African American community, some youth use less taboo ways of ending their lives. Wolfgang (1959) stated that, “victim-precipitated suicide is disproportionately represented among African American males.” For example, “In studies of officer-involved shootings, there appears to be evidence of suicidal intent in between 10% and 46% of cases” (Klinger, 2001). Therefore, due to cultural beliefs within the African American community, sometimes African Americans use victim-precipitated suicide as a more conventional way of ending their lives. The American Indian/Alaska Native group has also been
As a consequence of the stresses of war and inadequate job training, when they get out of the service many have fallen behind their contemporaries. If they are fortunate enough to become employed, many of them are unable to hold a job due to untreated PTSD and acquired addictions without services and counseling designed for them. These factors may place our returning veterans at a higher risk of suicide. In 2007, the US Army reported that there were 115 suicides among OIF/OEF veterans. This was the highest number of suicides reported since the Army started keeping track about 30 years ago. In general, the risk for suicide among these veterans was not higher than that found in the U.S. population (Tull). However, there are several programs and 24 hour suicide hotlines available for those that may contemplate committing suicide as an option.
Suicide rates suggest that certain disparities do exist. Disparities between both age and sex are most common while race can also play a factor when discussing disparities. In 2014, White males accounted for 77.4% of all suicides, only 22.6% were women (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2016). In addition to sex disparities, some race/ethnic disparities exist. From 2005-2014 the rates according to race are as follows: Whites 14.7, American Indians 10.9, Hispanics 6.3, Asians and Pacific Islanders 5.9 and Africans 5.5 (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2016). There is an outstanding difference in the White race compared to Africans or
The Air Force lost 38 airmen to suicide in 2008, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 airmen. The average over the past five years — since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom — was 11 deaths per 100,000 annually. Of the airmen lost in 2008, 95 percent were men and 89 percent were enlisted. Young enlisted men with a rank of E1 to E4 and between the ages of 21 and 25 have the highest risk of suicide. Recently released data indicates that active duty males carry, for the first time in known history, a suicide risk greater than that of comparable males in the general population (Psychotherapy Brown Bag, 2009). This is particularly noteworthy considering that the military entrance process screens out serious mental illness prior to entry onto active duty, and that the rate of suicide in military males has historically been significantly lower than comparable civilian populations. To help
There is a dramatic difference between the suicide rates of Caucasians and Non- Caucasian individuals. There are multiple reasons as to why that could be. One of the possible reasons for that stems from how our very society has been formed. When looking at the history, specifically here in the United States, we find that many Non-Caucasian groups of individuals have suffered at the hands of Caucasians in some way shape or form. Through that suffering, there was something that developed within those groups of people, resilience, strength, flexibility, and toughness. Non-Caucasian groups of people, for the most part, are use to the struggle that comes with being a minority so when all these hardships are happening, they do what their
(2012) suggest that suicide prevention strategies must be implemented by professionals who understand military culture and the unique pressures of social cohesion and mental health stigma. Braswell and Kushner (2012, p. 535) agree that efforts must be implemented in a way that “account for the lived experience of soldiers.” Although these recommendations are in line with a growing body of academic scholarship on the topic of military suicide, it will be difficult to implement successful policy without a better understanding of what is behind the difference and change in suicide rate. With incomplete information or a lack of causality, policymakers will be unprepared to determine if the outcomes of their actions are an improvement compared to maintenance of current
However, war does seem to be the major problem with veteran suicide, which is where PTSD comes from. To elaborate, men and woman go to war zones, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, or Pakistan, and fight with the Middle Eastern cultures. While doing so, these men and woman tend to fight for, not only Americas freedom, but also their lives and the lives around them. Therefore, on many occasions, these men and woman are forced to kill anyone that shows threat to America’s military members. Also, when in a firefight, those men and woman have to attempt to save the lives of the people around them from gunshot wounds, IED wounds, and many other attack defenses from the enemy of war. Therefore, war is the cause of PTSD, which seems to be the number one cause of veteran suicide.
Today, the Army suicide rate is 20.2 per 100,000 personnel which is higher than registered civilian males ages 19 to 29. The shocking effects of this war are seen in these numbers; before 2001, the Army rarely suffered 10 suicides per 100,000 soldiers. The Marine suicide rate has soared since 2001 from 12 to at least 19.5 per 100,000 soldiers. For every death, at least five members of the armed forces were hospitalized for attempting to take their life (Cogan). About one third of last years’ service members had told at least one person they planned to kill themselves, as found in the report. According to the Navy Times, 2 percent of Army, 2.3 percent of Marines and 3 percent of Navy soldiers responded to a survey conducted by the military; a shocking 28,536 members from all branches reported they had attempted suicide at some point. These rapidly increasing fatalities are leaving military personnel scrambling for answers and solutions. However, through a multitude of research there has been some leeway on discovering the common variables amount soldiers committing suicide. The most commonly identified risk factors and "stressors", according to the leaders who testified, are relationship issues, work-related problems, financial pressure, legal concerns, alcoholism and substance abuse (Wong). As Army Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Thomas Bostick spoke, “Despite common knowledge, military suicides are not necessarily linked to overseas
Suicide was seen as a just way to die if one was faced with unendurable suffering - be it physical or emotional”. Throughout time, suicide has been viewed and dealt with in countless ways. Recently in America, the problem has grown increasingly. In the past decade, suicide rates have been on the incline; especially among men. According to the New York Times (2013), “From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent… The suicide rate for middle-aged men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1 deaths per 100,000”. A 30 percent increase with an average of 19 more male suicides than female suicides is certainly an issue for both genders, and an epidemic for men. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (n.d.), found that in 2010, 38,364 suicides were reported, with 78.9% being men. The economic recession, unemployment, and various other factors are speculated to be responsible for this incline in male suicide. As of 2010, an estimated 30,308 men ended their own lives, and it seems as if there is a great risk of that number increasing each year.
Furthermore, the results also report suicide, in general, is more common among men than women. This article is not the first to confirm that statistic, however, it is important to consider the factors of why this may be true. “Why males have a higher suicide rate than females is a subject that is complex and poorly understood and involves aspects such as sex, social factors, medical factors, and occupations” (Dean et al., 2012, p.1228). Other than that, this article clearly cuts to the point without making too many bias statements and instead tests the question they aim to answer in the