Army Seeks New Way to Reduce Suicides
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Stocktrek/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The Army is hoping a scientist-developed algorithm will help prevent at-risk soldiers from committing suicide.
As reported in the latest issue of JAMA Psychiatry, Army personnel treated for a psychiatric disorder have a suicide rate of 264 suicides per 100,000 soldiers a year after their discharge from a hospital.
Since 2004, the rate of suicide has risen dramatically with levels at their highest in 2012 and 2013. It is now the leading cause of death among soldiers, surpassing war, heart disease and other causes of fatalities.
Using the new algorithm might enable Army officials to identify soldiers viewed as most likely to take their own lives, although the program is still years away from being operable.
Another potential drawback is that staging interventions to help at-risk soldiers could draw the attention of others to their problems and potentially ruin their careers in the military.
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