Suicides rise as combat time increases

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials say a record number of soldiers and veterans have killed themselves at a time when the Pentagon has stretched military deployments.

Long and multiple deployments in combat zones result in excessive stress and divisions among families, said Col. Carl Castro, an Army psychologist and suicide researcher.

The suicide rate among veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq is higher than the rate among civilians, which is troubling because the military screens soldiers for mental health issues and military personnel typically are healthier than civilians, said Han Kang, an epidemiologist with the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans rose from 52 in 2004 to 110 in 2006, the latest statistics available, USA Today reported.

In 2008, the Marine Corps reported 41 suicides -- a 20 percent increase over 2007. The Army reported 115 suicides in 2007 -- the most since the Army began tracking suicides in 1980. By October 2008, that record had been surpassed with the Army reporting 117 suicides, USA Today reported Tuesday, noting final numbers for 2008 have yet to be released.