Post by abbey1227 on Jun 15, 2021 12:36:19 GMT
USA TODAY
‘Heart-wrenching problem’ for Army in Alaska: 2 bases. 5 months. 6 suicides.
Tom Vanden Brook Sun, June 13, 2021, 2:53 PM
WASHINGTON – Six soldiers stationed in Alaska have died by apparent suicide in the first five months of the year, an alarming number of deaths after the Army poured more than $200 million into the state to combat the mental health crisis it identified in 2019, according to Army figures released to USA TODAY.
The 2021 suicide toll among the roughly 11,500 soldiers stationed there already has nearly matched last year when seven soldiers died by suicide while stationed with U.S. Army Alaska, whose principal posts are Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
While suicide rates among troops overall are comparable to the civilian population, the rate within the relatively small population of Alaska-based soldiers appears to be nearly four times the general U.S. rate.
Minus 60-degree cold, the high frequency of training and deployment and geographic and social isolation have been cited as key stresses in lives of soldiers stationed in Alaska. The relatively high cost of living, alcohol abuse, sleep disorders in the Land of Midnight Sun and its long, dark winters can contribute to mental health issues as well. Among the general population, Alaska had the second highest suicide rate in the nation in 2019, according to the CDC.
The Army identified those problems and more after responding to a cluster of 11 suicides among soldiers at Fort Wainwright from January 2014 and March 2019. A survey of 4,000 soldiers there found that 10.8% had expressed ideas about suicide, according to the 2019 report.
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"Soldiers identified isolation, stigma, limited resources, poor coping skills, alcohol use, and poor quality of life at (Fort Wainwright) as factors they perceived as contributing to suicidal behavior," the report said.
"Heartbreaking," said Maj. Gen. Peter Andrysiak, commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska. Andrysiak reviews the suicides with the soldiers' friends and their immediate supervisors. If soldiers who died by suicide lacked a sense of belonging or believed nobody cared about them, it's not evident among their peers, who are devastated, he said.
"That's not what you see in the room," Andrysiak said. "Those people are wrecked."
The survey also found that about one-third of the soldiers at Fort Wainwright had trouble sleeping. Sunlight ranges from four hours a day in December and as much as 21 hours a day in June. Soldiers expressed concern about access to nutritious, high-quality food, and one-third worried they didn't have enough money to buy it. A third surveyed said their leaders tolerated hazardous drinking while off duty.
A soldier who served in the First Stryker Brigade at Fort Wainwright described life on the post as harsh, the training and deployments disruptive to families. It is particularly difficult for young soldiers who may be away from home for the first time. It's expensive to travel to Fairbanks during normal times, and the COVID-19 pandemic virtually shut down the base, said the soldier who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Suicide 'not going in the right direction' for Army, nation
For the U.S., the overall age-adjusted suicide rate increased 35.2% from 10.5 per 100,000 in 1999 to 14.2 per 100,000 in 2018, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. It declined to 13.9 per 100,000 in 2019.
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‘Heart-wrenching problem’ for Army in Alaska: 2 bases. 5 months. 6 suicides.
Tom Vanden Brook Sun, June 13, 2021, 2:53 PM
WASHINGTON – Six soldiers stationed in Alaska have died by apparent suicide in the first five months of the year, an alarming number of deaths after the Army poured more than $200 million into the state to combat the mental health crisis it identified in 2019, according to Army figures released to USA TODAY.
The 2021 suicide toll among the roughly 11,500 soldiers stationed there already has nearly matched last year when seven soldiers died by suicide while stationed with U.S. Army Alaska, whose principal posts are Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
While suicide rates among troops overall are comparable to the civilian population, the rate within the relatively small population of Alaska-based soldiers appears to be nearly four times the general U.S. rate.
Minus 60-degree cold, the high frequency of training and deployment and geographic and social isolation have been cited as key stresses in lives of soldiers stationed in Alaska. The relatively high cost of living, alcohol abuse, sleep disorders in the Land of Midnight Sun and its long, dark winters can contribute to mental health issues as well. Among the general population, Alaska had the second highest suicide rate in the nation in 2019, according to the CDC.
The Army identified those problems and more after responding to a cluster of 11 suicides among soldiers at Fort Wainwright from January 2014 and March 2019. A survey of 4,000 soldiers there found that 10.8% had expressed ideas about suicide, according to the 2019 report.
Related video: Save a life by knowing the signs of suicide
Scroll back up to restore default view.
"Soldiers identified isolation, stigma, limited resources, poor coping skills, alcohol use, and poor quality of life at (Fort Wainwright) as factors they perceived as contributing to suicidal behavior," the report said.
"Heartbreaking," said Maj. Gen. Peter Andrysiak, commanding general of U.S. Army Alaska. Andrysiak reviews the suicides with the soldiers' friends and their immediate supervisors. If soldiers who died by suicide lacked a sense of belonging or believed nobody cared about them, it's not evident among their peers, who are devastated, he said.
"That's not what you see in the room," Andrysiak said. "Those people are wrecked."
The survey also found that about one-third of the soldiers at Fort Wainwright had trouble sleeping. Sunlight ranges from four hours a day in December and as much as 21 hours a day in June. Soldiers expressed concern about access to nutritious, high-quality food, and one-third worried they didn't have enough money to buy it. A third surveyed said their leaders tolerated hazardous drinking while off duty.
A soldier who served in the First Stryker Brigade at Fort Wainwright described life on the post as harsh, the training and deployments disruptive to families. It is particularly difficult for young soldiers who may be away from home for the first time. It's expensive to travel to Fairbanks during normal times, and the COVID-19 pandemic virtually shut down the base, said the soldier who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Soldiers stationed there are keenly aware of the suicide crisis and most have been affected by it, he said.
For the U.S., the overall age-adjusted suicide rate increased 35.2% from 10.5 per 100,000 in 1999 to 14.2 per 100,000 in 2018, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. It declined to 13.9 per 100,000 in 2019.
For the U.S. military, the rate of suicide among active-duty troops was 25.9 per 100,000 troops in 2019, 24.9 per 100,000 in 2018, and 21.9 per 100,000 in 2017. The rate has showed a steady increase from 2014, when the rate was 18.5 per 100,000 service members. The Pentagon report noted that the numbers in recent years were comparable "but not going in the right direction." Suicides in the Army increased from 146 in 2019 to 173 in 2020.
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