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Canadian Military will track suicides to include former soldiers

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | July 9, 2009 at 11:46 am

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Canada's National Defence Headquarters is changing the way it tracks suicides. In future. the statistics will include those soldiers that are no longer on active duty.

According to the Toronto Star the Department will now track suicides of those in the military as well as those that have long left, back to 1972. Previous statistics only tracked military members still serving in the military.

The project is to be completed by next spring. 15 soldiers committed suicide in 2008. The figure ranged between 11-13 between 2002 to 2007.

Despite this project it will still be difficult to attribute suicides to the military. Many of these suicides are attributed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In some instances personal circumstances can be the cause.

Multiple tours can be especially hard on families. Although Family Resource Centres operate on most bases, as walk in centres an provide support to familes, this author believes that not is being done to study the effects of deployment on military families.

Canada's Defence Department is changing the way it tracks the number of suicides in the military to include members who kill themselves while no longer on active duty, according to a report.

The department will now record the self-inflicted deaths of former soldiers and reservists, going back to 1972, the Toronto Star reported.

Previously, only actively serving full-time soldiers who took their own lives have been recorded in the department's suicide count.

The military has maintained that the suicide rate in its ranks is lower than for the general Canadian population.

Fifteen soldiers committed suicide in 2008. The figure has ranged from 11 to 13 during 2002-07.

The project, expected to be completed by next spring, hopes to give a better picture of mental health issues former soldiers deal with upon leaving the Forces.