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Suicide accounts for l in 100 deaths. The majority of those who die in this way are men.

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Risk factors for suicide

As well as being male, several other risk factors for suicide have been identified.

    Age: suicide in men peaks in the 20s and again in the 60s and 70s.
    Unemployment: the suicide rate has been shown to rise and fall with the unemployment rate in a number of countries – half of the record 33,000 people who committed suicide in Japan in 1999 were unemployed.
    Social isolation: those who kill themselves often live alone and have little contact with others. They may have been recently widowed or have never married.
    Chronic illness: any chronic illness increases the risk of suicide.
    Certain occupations: people with certain occupations are more likely to die by suicide, for example farmers (who usually work alone, may be unmarried and have access to the means of suicide, such as a shotgun or poisonous weedkiller).

Many of the above risk factors affect men more than women. It is important to remember that many people are subject to these factors, but only a tiny minority of them will end their own lives.

Other factors are also significant. The most important risk factor is the presence of a mental illness. The most important protective factor is the presence of good support from family or friends.

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zappaisgod said:
Because soldiers generally fit the most common suicide demographic?
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/menshealth/facts/depressionsuicide.htm

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Suicide accounts for l in 100 deaths. The majority of those who die in this way are men.

.............................................

Risk factors for suicide

As well as being male, several other risk factors for suicide have been identified.

    Age: suicide in men peaks in the 20s and again in the 60s and 70s.
    Unemployment: the suicide rate has been shown to rise and fall with the unemployment rate in a number of countries – half of the record 33,000 people who committed suicide in Japan in 1999 were unemployed.
    Social isolation: those who kill themselves often live alone and have little contact with others. They may have been recently widowed or have never married.
    Chronic illness: any chronic illness increases the risk of suicide.
    Certain occupations: people with certain occupations are more likely to die by suicide, for example farmers (who usually work alone, may be unmarried and have access to the means of suicide, such as a shotgun or poisonous weedkiller).

Many of the above risk factors affect men more than women. It is important to remember that many people are subject to these factors, but only a tiny minority of them will end their own lives.

Other factors are also significant. The most important risk factor is the presence of a mental illness. The most important protective factor is the presence of good support from family or friends.

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Of soldiers who have been in and through Iraq and Afghanistan the KIA rate is extremely low.  I do not know that the suicide rate for soldiers is significantly higher than for the general population when controlled for demographics.  If the normal population suicide rate is 1 in a hundred, as stated above, and over a million soldiers have cycled through Iraq and Afghanistan (I'm guessing on that but it's probably close) then the expected suicide count would be at least 10,000 for the general population, which this isn't.  How many KIAs are there?  Less than that.

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If you are correct then this is just sensationalism in the Media. Too bad they aren't offing themselves a little more.

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Icelander said:
It seems that a average of one US serviceman per day is committing suicide.  This is twice as many as are KIA in these wars  we have currently  engaged in.

Anyone want to speculate on why this is?

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Alan Rockefeller said:

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Icelander said:
It seems that a average of one US serviceman per day is committing suicide.  This is twice as many as are KIA in these wars  we have currently  engaged in.

Anyone want to speculate on why this is?

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Many reasons coming together to give them an overall mood of hopelessness.

• War sucks
  
• The military sucks in general
  
• Extremely unpleasant work environment, asshole commanding officers, locals want you dead
  
• Low pay
  
• Lots of guns around
  
• Severely restricted freedoms / civil rights
  
• Many of the places our troops are deployed have few women - Not nearly enough for everyone.
  
• War trama / PTSD
  
• Lack of feeling of accomplishment.  Many people in the US view the last 5 wars as pointless and a waste of time and money.
  
• The kind of people who sign up for the military aren't exactly the cream of the crop.  Its not a random cross section.
  

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DeadHearts said:
I almost cannot believe we still have so many that enlist. Nationalism and selfishness have some
deep roots in this country.

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Humility said:
Also Alan I don't see how guns "contribute to the general feeling of hopelessness".

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Shroomism said:
I'd probably kill myself too if I was forced or signed up to murder people for a corporation

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Humility said:
^
This

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