Suicide in the United States military

The authors provide a historical overview of suicide rates within the US military They report that the US military crude suicide rate (number of suicides divided by the population number) has been stable during the last 15 years at approximately 12 per 100,000. This rate is slightly lower than the crude suicide rate in the USA during the same time period, which has also been stable at approximately 12.25 per 100,000. They compare these data to available international data, and discuss known risk factors and demographics. They then focus on standardized suicide rates (adjusted for age and sex) and report that for the segment of society which provides the predominant source of soldiers (young males), the suicide rate within the military has, in recent years, been significantly lower than in the comparable civilian population. They speculate that the lower suicide rate may in part be due to the US military's fitness screening enlistment procedures; but that it may also reflect community values and support systems unique to the military community, as illustrated by the US Army's suicide prevention program.