{"id":73016,"date":"2016-02-08T22:25:13","date_gmt":"2016-02-08T22:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2016\/02\/08\/active-duty-suicides-up-guard-and-reserve-down-in-2014\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:07:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:07:21","slug":"active-duty-suicides-up-guard-and-reserve-down-in-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2016\/02\/08\/active-duty-suicides-up-guard-and-reserve-down-in-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Active-duty suicides up, Guard and Reserve down in 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The latest report from the Pentagon on military suicides shows a slight uptick in the suicide rate\u00a0among active-duty personnel in 2014 compared with the previous year, but significant drops in rates for r<\/span>Reserve and National Guard members when compared to 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, 269 active-duty service members and 169 reserve and National Guard troops took their own lives,\u00a0according to the 2014 Defense Department Suicide Event Report<\/a>, released in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suicide rate per 100,000 active-duty troops was 19.9, up slightly from 18.7 in 2013 but down from 22.7 in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Guard component saw its suicide rate in 2014\u00a0drop to 19.4 per 100,000\u00a0from 28.9 the previous year,\u00a0while the reserves declined to 21.9 per 100,000\u00a0from 23.4 in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As seen in previous years, most service members who died by suicide in 2014 were men\u00a0under age 30, mostly enlisted, white and\u00a0married. The majority ended their lives by\u00a0shooting or hanging themselves.\u00a0And\u00a0just over half had deployed at least once \u2014\u00a0down from nearly two-thirds reported in\u00a02013 as having deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About\u00a016 percent had seen direct combat. Some had been diagnosed with a mental health condition and several\u00a0had been prescribed prescription drugs or sought help from therapists or doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But many left no clues at all: They took no risks that would endanger their lives nor\u00a0expressed suicidal thoughts or mental health problems beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the active-duty deaths, 169 left no note or explanation for why they did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army had the highest suicide rate among the services in 2014 at 23.8 per 100,000. The Air Force rate was 18.5 per 100,000 service members, while the Marine Corps’ rate was 17.9 and the Navy’s, 16.3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report, the military rates are comparable with civilian U.S. rates adjusted for age and gender, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being in the military once offered some protection from suicide susceptibility; in 2002, the rate was 10.3 per 100,000 \u2014\u00a0much lower than a civilian adjusted rate, calculated by the Army in 2013, of 18.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military services oversee suicide prevention efforts within their own departments, while the Defense Suicide Prevention Office is responsible for creating and overseeing implementation of a strategic plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DoD National Center for Telehealth and Technology releases a report each year that examines the demographics, circumstances and psychological and social factors characteristic of these deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commonalities among the 2014 deaths were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n