Army Reports Spike In Suicides Within National Guard, Reserves

The Army had a small decrease in suicides among active duty service members in 2010, but the suicide rate has spiked within the Army National Guard and Reserves.

“We are able to more effectively influence those soldiers serving on active duty and help mitigate the stressors affecting them,” Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday. “It’s much more difficult to do so in the case of individuals not serving in active duty because they are often … removed from the support network provided by military installations.”

Chiarelli said that the Army will attempt to counter the increase by focusing on expanding suicide prevention programs aimed at active duty soldiers to include Reserve and National Guard soldiers.

Other preventative steps will include working with the employer’s of Reserve and National Guard troops to mitigate economic stressors, providing educational materials on drug abuse and improving access to tele-health services.

With the National Guard and Reserves factored in, there were 343 suicides Army-wide in 2010, 69 more than the previous year. According to Chiarelli, the suicide rate for the Army National Guard has doubled since 2009.