Furious Seasons

February 06, 2009

More Suicides Than Combat Deaths Among Soldiers In Jan. 2009

You read that right. According to the US Army, 24 soldiers killed themselves in January, a staggeringly high and tragic statistic, reportedly outpacing combat deaths that month. The Army openly admits it doesn't know what's going on, but one Army official at least partly pointed the finger at anti-depressants.

From cnn.com:

"Col. Kathy Platoni, chief clinical psychologist for the Army Reserve and National Guard, said that the long, cold months of winter could be a major contributor to the January spike.
"'There is more hopelessness and helplessness because everything is so dreary and cold,' she said.

"But Platoni said she sees the multiple deployments, stigma associated with seeking treatment and the excessive use of anti-depressants as ongoing concerns for mental-health professionals who work with soldiers....

"The anti-depressants prescribed to soldiers can have side effects that include suicidal thoughts. Those side effects reportedly are more common in people 18 to 24."

I don't want to make too much of Col. Platoni's statement--I suspect the dynamic is more complex than simple SSRI use--but there you have it.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at February 6, 2009 11:43 AM

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Even the military bigwigs & Thomas Insel, head of NIMH, are getting suspicious about SSRIs and all these soldier suicides.

Here is an article [first part of article] which appears on www.SSRIstories.com [taken from Bloomberg Press] where authorities, including Insel, are wondering if SSRIs are NOT GOOD for soldiers and that, instead, virtual reality therapty [whatever the heck this is] might be a better alternative. In 2008, according to this article, there were more suicides than combat deaths in Iraq/Afghanistan.

First paragraph reads: :The number of suicides among veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may exceed the combat death toll because of inadequate mental health care, the U.S. government's top psychiatric researcher said."

Paragraph 14 reads: "Researchers aren't sure whether it's appropriate to treat such patients with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a class of medications that include Prozac, and other anti- depressants, Insel said. His institute is examining that question and novel treatments for PTSD, including using so-called virtual reality technology."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=a2_71Klo2vig&refer=home

Post-War Suicides May Exceed Combat Deaths, U.S. Says (Update1)

By Avram Goldstein

May 5 (Bloomberg) -- The number of suicides among veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may exceed the combat death toll because of inadequate mental health care, the U.S. government's top psychiatric researcher said.

Posted by: Rosie at February 6, 2009 12:30 PM

Such a sad situation. Maybe they will rethink the purple heart issue now...

Posted by: Angie at February 7, 2009 03:23 AM

http://www.epluribusmedia.org/reviews/2007/20070220_meagher.html
"Moving a Nation to Care"- the excellent work of journalist Ilona Meagher

Posted by: Lilly NC at February 7, 2009 06:16 AM

This is so alarming, thanks for keeping this on the front page here.

Posted by: Stephany at February 7, 2009 08:34 AM

In memory of
" Traci Johnson a healthy volunteer joined Cymbalta's Eli-Lilly urinary incontinence clinical trial in early January, 2004 in a clinic at Indiana University Medical Center.
In February, 7 her body was found. She hung herself by a scarf from a shower rod."
RIP Tracy Johnson

Posted by: Ana at February 7, 2009 02:20 PM

The rate of suicide on First Nations reserves proves you can't put hope in a pill. Solders also won't find hope or help from pills.

Posted by: mark p.s.2 at February 8, 2009 06:18 AM