Suicide Risk in the Military Is Unrelated to Deployment

Military suicide rates have almost doubled over the past decade, coincident with increased deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. These researchers used data from the Millennium Cohort Study in the years 2001–2008 to examine risk factors for suicide in 151,560 active- and reserve-duty personnel. The analysis linked three waves of mental-health questionnaire data, deployment factors, and death records.

Eighty-three suicides were identified. Only male sex, bipolar illness, depression, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related problems increased risk for suicide. No aspect of deployment (duration, number of deployments, or combat experience) was related to suicide. The researchers estimated that 18% of military suicides were attributable to alcohol-rela…