CPA - The Guardian

The commander of Fort Campbell army base in Kentucky last month ordered a three-day suspension of regular duties to focus on a spike in suicides among his troops amid concern over a wider trend across the armed services.

The “stand-down” at Fort Campbell, which is home to the famed 101st Airborne Division, has recorded the highest rate of suicide in the army, with at least 11 confirmed or suspected suicides.

The trauma of combat combined with the effect of repeated tours has led to a record rise in suicides across the armed services and – particularly the US Army – which has carried the heaviest burden in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last year 128 US soldiers took their lives, up from 115 in 2007, as tours of duty since 2001 have come ever more frequently and last longer.

With 64 confirmed or suspected suicides so far this year, the army looks likely to surpass last year’s record numbers.

The 20.2 per 100,000 suicide rate among US soldiers is above the national record of 19.5 per 100,000 in 2005 in the United States.

In May a US soldier, Sergeant John Russell, allegedly sprayed his comrades with lethal gunfire at a mental health clinic at a US base in Baghdad, and he has been charged with five counts of murder. The case has underlined concerns about the psychological well-being of those serving in the military.

Due to worries over the state of Russell’s mental health, his commanding officer about a week earlier had ordered that the soldier’s weapon be confiscated and that he should go for counselling, officials said.

In a 2008 poll by the American Psychological Association, 61 percent of servicemen and women said that asking for help to treat psychological problems would have a negative impact on their career, and 53 percent said it would decrease their status among their peers.

In March, military leaders ordered a stand-down at every US Army installation to focus on preventing suicides.

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