Military suicides increased 16% in 2020, but officials don’t blame the pandemic

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Last fall, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rage, initial reports showed the stress of shelter-in-place orders and travel bans may have contributed to troop suicides. But whoever was responsible for that spike, it didn’t last, and the latest Defense Department suicide report shows no statistically significant increase in 2020.

There were 580 suicide deaths among the military last year, according to the report released Thursday, up from 498 in 2019. While this represents a 16% increase in the number of suicides, it represents an increase in the suicide rate of the military. ‘approximately 2 per 100,000., which the DoD does not consider significant for trend monitoring purposes.

Like you, we are very concerned about the suicide rates in our military, and we must do everything possible to prevent these tragedies, Major General Clement Coward, acting executive director of the Office of Resilience, told reporters on Thursday. strength.

The DoD does not suspect, at least for now, that the pandemic is the cause of any increase in the number of suicides.

When we first started talking about data and what it might indicate, we always knew that COVID, and the measures to address it, presented unique challenges that would include risk factors for some people. That is why we not only continued to monitor this, but also continued to be relentless to tone down the efforts as much as possible.

This latest report does not address the causal factors of suicide, although systematically military suicides tend to be catalyzed by relationship and / or financial stress, primarily among enlisted men under the age of 30 who have not. never been deployed. Further analysis of cases from the 2020s will be included in the Suicidal Events Report, which is typically released between May and July.

The suicide rate among active-duty troops fell from 26.3 deaths per 100,000 to 28.7 from 2019 to 2020. Although the DoD does not consider this to be statistically significant. officials consider it significant that the rate increased over a longer period, from 20.3 in 2015.

Reserves increased from 18.2 to 21.4 per 100,000 between 2019 and 2020, offsetting the notable drop seen the previous year, when the rate fell from 22.9 in 2018.

The National Guard has experienced an even greater fluctuation in recent years. The 2018 suicide report made headlines because at 30.8 deaths per 100,000, the National Guard had exceeded the suicide rate nationwide, when it was monitored for age and sex.

This significantly decreased the following year, to a rate of 20.5. In 2020, it had risen to 27.

Among the services, the military showed both the highest suicide events and the highest rate. Here’s how they break down:

Army: 175 deaths at 36.4 per 100,000 soldiers. Navy: 66 deaths at 19.3 per 100,000 sailors. Marine Corps: 62 deaths at 33.9 per 100,000 Marines Air / Space Force: 81 deaths at 24.3 per 1,000 airmen / guards.

Of these, over 90 percent were enlisted, over 70 percent were white, about 70 percent were under 30, and over 90 percent were men.

The latest report marks the third year that the DoD has also tracked spousal and dependent suicides. They report 7.7 suicides per 100,000, statistically consistent since 2017.

While the rate of married women who commit suicide is similar to the overall rate in the United States, they are more likely to use a gun to kill themselves. Meanwhile, spouses of male service members are much more likely to die by suicide than men in the United States in general.

In addition to a myriad of training and prevention programs, the Pentagon also focuses on certain risk factors that can, theoretically, be more easily controlled than the complex web of emotions and impulses that lead to suicide.

The most important is the possession of firearms. Personal weapons are the primary method of suicide among military personnel: 64% of active duty deaths, 75% of Reserve suicides, and 80% of National Guard deaths are caused by firearms, and about 90% of those involving a personal weapon.

In comparison, among US residents of the same age, firearms are used in 44% of suicides.

The DoD asked the troops about their understanding of these trends, finding that the majority of them did not believe that having a gun in the house, or how it is stored, makes a difference in the results. suicide.

Research tells us that storing a loaded firearm at home increases the risk of dying by suicide, up to four to six times, Karin Orvis, director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, told reporters.

However, research has shown that keeping guns unloaded and locked up significantly reduces the risk of suicide among gun owners.

The troops, however, are more likely to us to believe that someone who wants to kill themselves will find a way.

In fact, research has shown that suicides are often impulsive, Orvis said, and that it can sometimes take as little as 10 minutes for a person to consider attempting suicide and then carrying it out. And so, the harder it is to find the means, the less risk of suicide there will be.

Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at the Military Times. It covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other matters affecting the military. Follow on Twitter @Meghann_MT

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