Soldiers and Marines Die by Suicide 50 Percent More Often Than Sailors and Airmen

Of 325 active-duty suicides in 2018, soldiers Marines took their own lives at 150 percent the rate of sailors and airmen, according to a report released Monday by the Defense Department.

The Marine Corps had the highest rate, according to the 2018 Department of Defense Suicide Event Report, followed by the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The Corps’ 58 suicides represent a 31-per-100,000 rate, followed by the Army’s 139 suicides in 2018, for a rate of just under 30-per-100,000.

The Navy had the second-highest number, 68, or just under 21-per-100,000. The Air Force had the lowest rate, with 60 suicides for just under 19-per-100,000.

About 44 percent of military suicides occurred in troops who had no documented behavioral health diagnoses, according to the report.

DoD documented active-duty 1,375 suicide attempts that year, 101 of whom had previously attempted suicide. There were also six suicide deaths of people who had a previous documented attempt.

According to reports filed at the time of the suicides or suicide attempts, relationship stress was the biggest motivating factor ― in nearly 40 percent of cases ― followed by legal/administrative issues and work-related stress.

The active-duty military’s rate of nearly 25 suicides-per-100,000 is higher than the overall U.S. rate of 18-per-100,000 in military-age adults, according to the report, when you factor in the mostly young and male population in the services.

Among active duty troops, suicides were up from 285 in 2017, representing a 14-percent increase. Of those, 94 percent were male, 72 percent were white and 42 percent were between the ages of 20 to 24.

While the military is predominantly made up of young, white men, their suicide rates are on par with the general U.S. population, when adjusted for age and sex.

“Both of these characteristics are associated with suicide mortality rates,” per the report.

But demographics among those who attempted suicide were more diverse. Of those, 70 percent were men, 66 percent were white and 54 percent were between 20 and 24.