Marine Corps Has Highest Suicide Rate Of All Military Branches
In the active Marine Corps, the rate rose from 23.9 deaths by suicide per 100,000 service members in 2021 to 34.9 deaths in 2022. Separately, reports say AI is now being used as part of an effort to combat military suicides.
Military Times:
Marines Grapple With Highest Suicide Rate Of All US Military Services
The Marine Corps had the highest rate of suicide among all the U.S. military branches in 2022 ― a sobering statistic for a service that has stepped up efforts in recent years to prevent these tragedies. The military has seen a gradual increase in suicide across the branches since 2011, the Defense Department’s annual report on suicide in the military found. In the Marine Corps’ active component, 34.9 out of 100,000 service members died by suicide in 2022, up from a rate of 23.9 in 2021 and higher than any other service. (Loewenson, 11/13)
Fox News:
Military Mental Health Is Focus As AI Training Simulates Real Conversations To Help Prevent Veteran Suicide
Artificial intelligence is working to save the lives of America's heroes. A new product by ReflexAI called HomeTeam was just released this week, with the goal of preventing veteran suicide. After completing a module, trainees are prompted to test their skills by answering quizzes and interacting with an AI-powered chatbot named Blake. (Stabile, 11/13)
Health News Florida:
FAU Awarded $400K To Expand Research On Stress Disorders In Veterans
Florida Atlantic University has received a $400,000 grant that will help expand research looking at early life stress as well as post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans. The grant was awarded by the Community Foundation of Broward and will be used over the next four years. One project aims to identify early life stress triggers among those who experience extreme adversity like abandonment, abuse and poverty. (Cabrera, 11/13)
If you are in need of help —
Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.
In other mental health news —
The Washington Post:
Supreme Court Denies Case Involving Prolonged Confinement Without Exercise
Over the objections of its three liberal justices, the Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition from a prisoner confined for years without the chance to exercise outside his cell. The treatment of mentally unstable Illinois inmate Michael Johnson had previously divided the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. It rejected his lawsuit alleging that keeping him in his windowless cell except for an occasional trip for a shower violated the Constitution’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. (Barnes, 11/13)
The New York Times:
A Mayor’s Suicide Leaves An Alabama City Seeking Answers
The mayor fatally shot himself after a news site published a photo of him in makeup and said he had written erotic fiction and posts using names and photos of local residents, including a minor. (Rojas, Sassoon and Edmonds, 11/12)
CNN:
Inside The ‘Pressure Cooker’: 4 Current And Former LA Sheriff’s Employees Die By Suicide In Less Than 24 Hours
When former police officer Omar Delgado heard the news of four current and former members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department dying by suicide in less than 24 hours last week, he understood. “It’s kind of like a pressure cooker. If you don’t slowly let go of that steam little by little, when it does pop, it’s over because it’s going to be such a big explosion.” Delgado was one of the first officers on the scene of the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando on June 12, 2016. He suffers post-traumatic stress disorder from that night, and has attempted to take his own life twice. (Tucker, 11/12)
The Mercury News:
Oakland's New Fire Chief Promises Better Mental-Health Care
Damon Covington was restless about how his life would proceed — until a voice in his head told him he should be a firefighter. He knew next to nothing about how to become one, and even less about the Oakland Fire Department, where he started out two decades ago. Now Covington is the city’s new full-time chief, after four months of holding the interim role. After running through words of appreciation for the city’s leaders, Covington was clear on his top priority: establishing better mental-health services for the department’s 443 firefighters. (Muukherjee, 11/13)
