Who is Most at Risk for Suicide?

 Some might be concerned about who is most at risk for suicide. The following statistics are from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on suicides in the military:

95 percent of military suicides are among enlisted members.

95 percent are male.

83 percent of the suicides occurred in the U.S. and 10 percent in Iraq or Afghanistan.

80 percent are Caucasian.

41 percent had a recent outpatient behavioral health service.

38 percent had served in Afghanistan or Iraq.

47 percent are under the age of 25.

34 percent had communicated their suicide intent.

30 percent had a personal relationship difficulty in the previous month.

20 percent had been prescribed antidepressants.

14 percent had exhibited prior suicidal behavior.

11 percent had been in combat.

6 percent had seen someone killed in combat

(This information was from TIME article, "The War on Suicide", July 23, 2012

                                                    

                                                (Photo is from www.swords-to-plowshares.org)

The Rate of Suicide Amongst U.S. Soldiers Has Dramatically Increased in the Past Four Years

This graph was taken from thinkprogress.org

U.S. Soldiers Can Defeat Enemies But Inner Demons are Harder to Fight Against

Americans are aware of the courageous men and women who put their lives' at stake to protect us and this country. They face death on a daily basis and understand their job of fighting enemies. What if they can't conquer their own inner demons? According to "Project Censored", more U.S. soldiers have died from a self-inflicted death than from combat. Why is it on the list of the top 25 censored stories of 2010-2011? In order to find a solution, Americans must first be aware of the statistics in order to get a better understanding of potential causes and solutions for PTSD. I chose this topic because about a year ago I watched producer James Gandolfini's documentary " Wartorn:1861-2010", which focuses around soldiers from the Civil War and current U.S. soldiers facing PTSD.


                                     
         (Photo is from http://wp.artemi.us/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/wartorn-1861-2010-original.jpg)



The following is a link for the documentary's trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvIrpyzpcR4