Suicide Cases in the Military
According to an article by Mark Thompson and Nancy Gibbs on the War on Suicide, the prevalence of suicide in the United States is quite high. It has been noted that deaths resulting from suicide exceed those caused by road accidents. As of the year 2004 to 2008, the rate went up to 80%. The rate was constant between 2010 and 2011 and soon after it soared to 18% in the later year. (1)
The major causes of suicide according to the article are stresses layered on by combat trauma from the frequent war deployments, the often brutal choices, the loss of comrades and the family separation. (2)
The findings portray a great difference among the veterans who are most likely to commit suicide. Enlisted service members have been termed to be more likely to commit suicide than the officers, and in terms of age, 18 to 24year olds are more likely to kill themselves than older veterans. From the theory of suicide in the article, people who have a feeling of usefulness and recognize that they serve a mighty cause are less likely to commit suicide. According to statistics, 95% of suicide cases are male. (3)
There are many challenges faced by the veterans while seeking mental health services. Slow services and negligence by some physicians has resulted in some suicide cases like that of Michael and Ian. (4)
From the agonizing stories of Dr. Michael McCaddon and Ian Morrison, it is evident that their deaths may have been avoided if the appropriate health services were administered to them. They went out to seek health services but they were discouraged by long delays. Frustration that amounted from the delays triggered them to commit suicide. (5)
From my opinion, in order to reduce the prevalence of suicide cases, it is appropriate that the military emphasizes on counseling services and proper medication services for its service men. In addition, considering regular classes for the service men can help a great deal to reduce the cases. (6)