“We see the same stuff that you see in civilian populations—legal, financial, marital problems,” he said.
The high rate of suicide in the Army is not surprising because it is made up of young males who have guns at hand, said Mark Kaplan, Dr.P.H., professor of community health at Portland (Ore.) State University, who recently published a study showing that male veterans are twice as likely to commit suicide as their counterparts with no military experience.
Although this year's increase might represent some reflection of a growing disaffection for the war among soldiers, it may also just be a 1-year blip, he said. “There needs to be more aggressive interventions. But there may be limits to how much you can bring rates down,” he noted.