Increase in Military Suicides

Yesterday I heard on a local radio show that the military is seeing an increase in suicides among the troops.
Of course, mainstream media isn't saying much about this. So, I did a little Yahoo! research:

Suicides of US Marines have reached their highest level in five years, prompting a Defence Department effort to encourage Marines to seek mental health services, a Marine Corps spokesman said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

news from Bangladesh

The psychological toll from the war in Iraq is climbing, according to new research and experts who cite the severe stress of fighting a deadly insurgency. Though the Pentagon says mental health care, including battlefield counseling, is expanding, critics counter that military suicides and post-traumatic stress disorder cases have exposed gaps in how treatment is delivered to soldiers.

"Protracted combat with insurgents can bring greater rates of psychiatric disorders than the type of conflict -- a campaign for liberation -- that was the initial goal in Iraq, according to studies from previous conflicts,..."

www.cnn.com...

www.theolympian.com...
www.washingtonpost.com...

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Besides the stress associated with the type of war being fought in Iraq, the suicide rate may also be enhanced because of an anti-malaria drug, Lariam, given to the troops.

The Pentagon reversed course Wednesday and told Congress it would look into whether an anti-malaria drug developed by the Army might be causing suicides, one month after asserting the drug could not be a factor.

www.military.com...


[edit on 6-1-2005 by DontTreadOnMe]

The pill issued for "malaria" was linked to causing extreme violent behavior.
There is an increase in the soldiers killing their loved ones back home but if they are left alone they will kill the only thing in the room themselves. The drug was designed to lower the kill threshold. They really need to lay off of it about three to four weeks and do a good body flush before going home.
I think it's made by/or called "Larium". I took a less powerful version but still felt like the "Terminator" for a while before it left my system.