University of Michigan to participate in soldier suicide study
As the suicide rate for U.S. soldiers hits record highs, the University of Michigan is part of a group seeking answers.
U-M's Institute for Social Research will join three other institutions to conduct the largest study to date of suicide and mental health issues among military personnel.
With $50 million from the U.S. Army, the study is a collaborative program of research that will also involve scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health and the U.S. Army.
The goal of the study is to identify factors related to suicidal behavior, said Steven Heeringa, research scientist at the U-M Institute for Social Research and U-M principal investigator on the study.
The findings will be used to guide the Army’s efforts to prevent suicide and improve soldiers’ overall psychological health, according to a news release.
Since 2001, the suicide rate for soldiers has climbed, reaching record levels in 2007 and again in 2008 - despite major prevention and intervention efforts by the Army. Last year, 128 soldiers committed suicide, up from 115 in 2007, CNN.com reported.
For the project, U-M researchers will survey 90,000 active Army personnel who are representative of the entire Army - including active members of the National Guard and Reserves - to obtain information on the prevalence of suicide-related behavior, as well as risk factors. In addition to obtaining behavioral information, U-M researchers will also gather saliva and blood samples for genetic and biologic analyses.
They will also survey all 80,000 to 120,000 recruits who join the Army in each of the first three years of the study.
The research team will also conduct a case-controlled retrospective study, comparing information on soldiers who have attempted or completed suicide with those who have not.
Comments
MozhganSavabieasfahani
Tue, Mar 16, 2010 : 3:27 p.m.
U.S. soldiers who are killing themselves simply can no live with what they have done to Iraqis. ----------------- By some estimates, 2 million Iraqis have been killed since US invasion. As a result of U.S. military actions in Iraq, today Basrah exhibits a terrible epidemic of childhood leukemia and in Fallujah there is a terrible outbreak of birth deformities among infants. Children are dying in unbelivable pain as a result of what U.S. soldiers have done to them. ----------------- We are all humans and human lives are connected. U.S. soldiers who are killing themselves simply can no live with what they have done to Iraqis and Afghans.
Fred
Fri, Jul 24, 2009 : 11:48 a.m.
I will save the tax payers 49 million and do this study for you, for only one million dollars. -Why do soldiers want to kill themselves?...hmmm...that's a tuffy...try getting all your friends killed and half your face blown off in a war that never had to happen and see how you feel. -What can we do to reduce suicides?....ahhh...don't elect a President that starts bogus wars for nothing and gets all the soldiers dying and getting blown to bits for nothing... OK. you owe me a million and I just saved you 49 million.