JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - Army suicide numbers for active-duty soldiers was much
greater in 2012 then it's been in previous years.
The 22 percent increase equals a total of 349 suicides
from active-duty soldiers, according to the Department of Defense. This number
is greater than the total number of soldiers who were killed fighting in
Afghanistan.
Samuel Taylor, a 20 year retired
veteran, has been on numerous deployments throughout his military career. "The
main stressors for active-duty soldiers are uncertainties when they deploy
home, financial needs, multiple deployments, as well as marriage and
relationship problems," Taylor said.
Taylor believes the increase in
suicide rates could be attributed to the military being downsized.
"This can put more tasks on the
NCOs and leaders," Taylor says. He believes the military being downsized has
forced military leaders to not be as actively involved with the soldiers.
In 2012, there were more suicides
among veteran soldiers than younger soldiers, a trend that was reversed in
previous years. Sandra Worlow, director of Arkansas State University's Beck
Pride Center, said she believes this can be attributed to younger people
enlisting without knowing what to expect.
The Beck Pride Center works with
veterans to provide them with mental health counseling, educational programs
and physical therapy. The center also provides assistance to the families of veterans,
offering educational services on care giving and counseling.
"For veterans who have been deployed,
when they come back life is so different than before they left," Worlow said. "The
things that they have to do over in Afghanistan or previously in Iraq are
things that aren't socially acceptable here. They see a lot of things and feel
a lot of things and they have to turn their emotions off."
Worlow said it typically takes about
18 months following a deployment before they reach out to the Beck Pride
Center.
"They don't see that anything is
wrong," Worlow said. "And typically it's an ultimatum given to them by a loved
one, or an employee because of anger management issues or self destructive
behaviors."
Samuel Taylor has been a part of the
Beck Pride Center for many years and graduated from ASU in May 2012 with his bachelor's
degree. Although he said he never had any suicidal thoughts, he did battle with
depression.
"Having a good family support and
understanding your mission really helped me," Taylor said.
Taylor said he encourages soldiers coming back from deployment
to seek counseling services.
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