Air Force Suicide Rate Reaches 17-Year High

by Jordan Yerman | December 23, 2010 at 08:29 am

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Air Force Suicide Rate: Relationship Problems a Main Factor

The Air Force suicide rate reached a 17-year high in 2010, with 54 active-duty personnel committing suicide so far; 197 airmen have survived suicide attempts this year.

The Department of Defense has been taking active steps to get the suicide rate to drop, but 2010 saw a significant rise over the 2009 rate. The number-one factor in Air Force suicides was relationship difficulty, with recent deployment turning out to be a lower risk factor.

The other services are reporting slightly lower numbers among active-duty troops. In the Army, there have been 144 confirmed or suspected suicides among active-duty Soldiers, compared with 162 in 2009. The Navy says its suicide rate dropped from 46 in 2009 to 33 this year, and the Marine Corps say its numbers fell from 52 last year to 46 so far in 2010.

If you or anyone you know (enlisted or otherwise) is displaying warning signs of suicide, pick up the phone.

For what it's worth, suicide rates don't actually spike during the holiday season: it's a myth, debunked by the Mayo Clinic, among others.