Why are suicide rates up? Poliquicks
The Houston Chronicle, February 9, 2011, “Texas National Guard Sees Spike In Suicides,” by Lindsay Wise, says that there is a spike in the number of Texas National Guard soldiers who took their own lives last year has resulted in a sobering statistic: More members of the Texas Guard have been lost to suicide than to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Chronicle reported that a total of 12 Texas Army National Guard troops have been killed in action
since 2001. During that same time period, 18 killed themselves, according to Texas Army National Guard headquarters at Camp Mabry in Austin.
That grim tally in TX includes seven suicides in 2010, a jump from just one, two or none in previous years. The statistics in Texas reflect a nationwide trend in the Army, which recently reported that suicides among National Guard and Reserve forces jumped significantly last year from 80 deaths in 2009 to 145 deaths in 2010.
We now have Soldiers and Marines who are on fourth deployment since 1999.
You have to wonder if the stress of going off to war one day and home another day is a factor.
In our previous wars, except Vietnam, you stayed until it was over.