ST. LOUIS MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com)—
The murder of 13 soldiers by one of their own, has been raising questions about how the military deals with mental illness. But some of those questions were already been asked before the Fort Hood massacre, because of an alarming rise in military suicides.The statistics are complicated, sometimes unreliable, and often misunderstood. Still, even the military calls the numbers alarming.
According to the New York Times, from January to mid-July, more American soldiers died from suicide than were killed in combat. And the highest numbers come from the army.
With more than 160 suspected cases this year alone, the Army's suicide rate is the highest its been since it began keeping records 30 years ago.
The commanding general at Missouri's Fort Leonard Wood says it is mostly an army problem because it has mostly been the Army fighting the ground war.
Now, he says ,the army is trying to approach the problem pro-actively, with a $125 million program launched just last month, called Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.
Its a self-help program designed to help soldiers become as mentally fit as they are physically. And it involves the entire chain of command.
One reason he believes the suicide rates are so high in the Army is the stress of fighting a relentless war against a civilian enemy with no front lines. Combine that with long and multiple deployments and the effect can be devastating on both the soldier and the soldier's family.
And it can continue even after their service is complete. Like the Army, the Veterans Administration says it's getting better at spotting and treating mental illness.
A new facility at the V.A. hospital in midtown St. Louis opened in October, designed to make assessing a veteran's needs one stop shopping.
In addition to its new mental health programs, last year , the Army has launched a five year, $50 million study to understand mental health issues in the military.
