Air Force Suicide Rate Hits 17-Year High

The Air Force has been able to claim the best practice in addressing PTSD and suicides so this is one of the most important release of figures on suicides.

Air Force Suicide Rate Hits 17-Year High
December 23, 2010
Stars and Stripes|by Jennifer H. Svan
Air Force suicides hit a 17-year high in 2010, and officials say relationship problems remain the No. 1 reason Airmen decide to end their lives.
Through Tuesday, 54 active-duty Airmen have committed suicide — 13 more than last year — and the highest rate since 1993.
The alarming news comes after nearly two years of efforts within the Defense Department to lower suicide numbers.
The other services are reporting slightly lower numbers among active-duty troops. In the Army, there have been 144 confirmed or suspected suicides among active-duty Soldiers, compared with 162 in 2009. The Navy says its suicide rate dropped from 46 in 2009 to 33 this year, and the Marine Corps say its numbers fell from 52 last year to 46 so far in 2010.
Air Force leaders said that, in addition to relationship problems, other risk factors they evaluate include history of mental health issues, alcohol in system at time of death, financial problems and whether an Airman was deployed in the past year.

This year, 197 Airmen have survived suicide attempts, while the Marine Corps has reported 165 attempts. The Navy said 60 Sailors have attempted suicide.
Army numbers were not available.

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Air Force Suicide Rate Hits 17-Year High

In other words, they failed just as every other branch of the military has. Why? Because they still don’t understand what is going on and talk to the wrong experts. If they want to know what has failed, they talk to families after it is too late, so they hear what has failed. No one is asking what has worked all these years since Vietnam. PTSD is not new but they act as if it is. There have been studies on it for over 40 years! There is no excuse for this anymore.