13% of deployed Marines consider suicide, new study says.
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    13% of deployed Marines consider suicide, new study says.

    13% of deployed Marines consider suicide, study says

    May. 31, 2012 12:31 PM
    Gidget Fuentes, Marine Corps Times

    http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...ide-study.html

    SAN DIEGO -- More than 1 in 10 Marines who deployed overseas reported having suicidal thoughts or plans to attempt suicide, according to a study looking at predictors of suicide.

    As part of the study, researchers sought to identify potential links to suicidal behavior that may have been evident within a month before a Marine attempted to take his life. They analyzed variables such as post-traumatic stress symptoms; depression; substance or alcohol abuse; and social support, looking also at "negative life events," such as trauma before deploying, combat exposure and worries of everyday life.

    "In our sample, unfortunately, 13 percent of people reported some type of suicidal thoughts or plans," said Cynthia Thomsen, a research psychologist with the Naval Health Research Center.

    The anonymous study of 1,517 active-duty Marines and sailors was conducted in 2006 and 2007. A wide cross-section of the Corps was represented, including infantry, aviation and combat support. Most participants, 93 percent, were male and from the junior enlisted ranks. Nearly half had done more than one overseas deployment, but 11 percent of the findings were not combat related.

    The most potent combination for predicting suicidal thoughts and behavior was seen in Marines who experienced a great deal of combat and suffered from PTSD, depression or drug use, Thomsen said. Those who reported both severe PTSD and high depression were the people most at-risk.

    Other findings:

    -- Higher levels of combat exposure led to more PTSD symptoms and alcohol use, and these individuals reported they had less social support.

    -- Marines and sailors suffering from PTSD, depression and substance abuse "were more likely to report suicidal thoughts or plans," she said.

    -- Those with strong social support were less likely to report suicidal thoughts or plans, she said.

    -- Deployment stressors, which can include worries about spouses and personal finances at home or dangers such as heat and bugs in the war zone, were "significantly related," Thomsen said.

    -- Pre-deployment trauma was a significant factor for those suffering from PTSD, depression, alcohol use or poor social support, she said, but it wasn't linked to those who used illegal drugs.

    -- One surprise: "Alcohol problems did not emerge as a predictor of suicidal behavior," Thomsen said. "This is really at odds with a lot of what we hear."

    -- Another surprising finding: Lack of social support was not a strong predictor of suicidal behavior, also at odds with conventional thinking, she said.

    Marine officials want to include mental, spiritual and social fitness as a part of their physical fitness programs. Social fitness is the latest pillar of what officials are calling Marine Total Fitness, a holistic approach to steeling Marines and their families for the rigors of military life.

    "This is intended to be interwoven into the Marine Corps culture, in everything Marines do," said Brig. Gen. Robert Hedelund, director of the Marine and Family Programs Division at Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Quantico, Va.

    Initiatives are under way, including increased injury prevention, new premarital training, improved nutrition standards and a push to bolster unit cohesion and morale. All are designed to give Marines, and their commanders and families, more tools to help them manage life in the Corps.


  2. #2
    Remember..... Suicide is nothing more than a permanent solution to a temporary problem!

    One suicide is too many!



  3. #3
    also a contributing factor is all the aspartame that is the food that need sweetening, aspartame is a known depressant,,and if you have a tendency to it that will enhance that problem


  4. #4
    Typical warning signs exhibited by a suicidal person, Some of those are:
    Persistent feelings of hopelessness.
    Withdrawal or isolation from others.
    Sleeping problems.
    Increased alcohol consumption.
    Giving possessions away.
    Obtaining a gun.
    Unexpected outbursts of rage or anger.
    Where to go for help

    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline


    1-800-273-TALK



  5. #5
    Suicide should never be an option, regardless of what problems are going on in someone's life.... get help..... please.


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