New Army Suicides Match Civilian Levels

By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today Published: February 06, 2009

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 6 -- The number of suicides among active-duty and reserve Army personnel continues to grow, according to statistics released by the Pentagon.  Last week, the Army announced that 128 soldiers committed suicide in 2008. Both the absolute number and the rate -- 20.2 per 100,000 -- were the highest in decades.  For the first time since the Vietnam War, that rate matched the civilian level, after adjusting for age and sex, the Army's data showed./.../