In an op-ed for USA Today (4/3, Robbins), James Robbins discusses a study published online in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, which “disrupts the conventional wisdom” that suicide rates among current and former servicemembers are the result of stress from war. The study, which examined the association between suicide and deployment, determined that “there was no increased risk of suicide among those who had deployed to war zones,” according to Robbins, who added that such an association “appears to be a myth.” After noting CDC figures that the suicide rate for 25 to 34-year-old men out of uniform is higher than that of servicemembers, Robbins concludes that the increase in military suicides is likely part of an increase in suicide rates across demographics.
Related Links:
— “Robbins: Military suicide notions marked by myths,” James S. Robbins, USA Today, April 2, 2015.