US Troops Suicide Rate Spiked in 2020
The numbers show a large divergence from the Pentagon's desired outcome.
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What could have caused this increase?
A 15% increase in suicide rates among US troops in 2020 has been recorded, despite initiatives taken by the Pentagon to prevent soldiers and service members from taking their own lives.
USA Today reported 580 troops died by suicide in 2020, compared with 504 in 2019, as confirmed by a Defense Department sources who requested anonymity. More details will be released publically on Thursday by the Pentagon.
The currently registered number of suicide deaths maintains the disturbing pattern observed in previous years, as 543 cases were also registered in 2018.
The majority of the troops who died by suicide are young enlisted men, with the Pentagon noting that rates for active-duty troops “are not going in the desired direction.”
Additionally, the US Army has seen a steep rise in suicide among its soldiers in Alaska, registering six suspected suicides in the first five months of 2021.
Despite spending $200 million to prevent suicide in bases in Alaska, the Pentagon is seemingly unable to treat the root causes of these deaths.
