The number of suicides among servicemembers has increased in the past decade. Although the number of deaths went down in 2022, there remains a variety of other issues that need to be addressed before significant change can truly occur, according to an expert.
Although the total number of deaths decreased because the active-duty force is smaller now than in previous years, the rate of suicides per 100,000 servicemembers increased. According to the DOD report, the Marine Corps saw an 11 percent jump in suicide rates, while the Air Force and Navy logged a 4 percent and 3 percent rise, respectively.
Robert Beckman, co-founder and executive director of TreatNOW, an organization that helps veterans with brain injuries, applauded these new measures but said the military still faces barriers.
For one, he said, it’s going to be incredibly hard to “eliminate the stubborn stigma around asking for help.”
“When dealing with depression, sexual assault, or any issue affecting a servicemember, people generally don’t want to talk about it,” Mr. Beckman said. “And it is true, most of these cases are not reported.”
Many women who were sexually assaulted are fearful about coming forward, he said.
“They’re scared the incident will either be whitewashed or their character will be destroyed,” Mr. Beckman said.
“There needs to be a procedure put in place where servicemembers, especially victims of sexual assault, can report to someone outside their chain of command.”
Those in the special forces are also at risk of psychological and physical effects of the unique demands of their role, according to Mr. Beckman.
“A member of a special forces team will do nearly anything to keep their ability to be with their team,” he said.
“[These servicemembers] are carrying around a heavy load, which often leads them down a path of self-medication just to be able to get through the pain and the sleeplessness. In far too many cases, the likelihood of reporting anything like this is going to be very low, so they’re not going to get help. Period.”
Overlooked Factors
Lt. Ted Macie, a whistleblower and active-duty Navy Medical Service Corps officer, said he’s skeptical of the Pentagon’s stated efforts combating suicide.After releasing a video disclosing increased heart damage in active-duty fixed-wing and helicopter pilots, Lt. Macie was barred from the Navy’s computer network. Although he complied with the Navy and deleted the video, it remains available on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In data obtained before he lost his access to the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database, Lt. Macie said there was a 111 percent increase in mental disorders and a 46 percent increase in major depressive disorders in 2022 when compared with a five-year average. Adult sexual abuse increased by 54 percent in 2022 when compared with a five-year average of 2016 to 2020.
Lt. Macie emphasized that his views don’t reflect those of the Department of Defense or the Department of the Navy. The Department of Defense didn’t return inquiries by The Epoch Times.