The Causes of Suicide in the Military Research Paper

The Causes of Suicide in the Military - Research Paper Example (Alvarez) It is evident from the graph that the suicide rate has been almost doubled in 2008 compared to the 2003 statistics. In any case, one thing is for sure; suicide rates among American military personnel are growing rapidly in recent times because of various reasons. Even though military authorities are trying hard to reduce the suicide rates among soldiers, so far they failed to do so because of the complex reasons associated with suicides in military. This paper analyses the causes and effects of suicides in American military. Suicide rates among American military personnel have been more than that among American civilians in recent times. The above fact clearly suggests that there should be some specific reasons to the increased suicide rates among soldiers. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide proposes that three necessary factors are needed to die by suicide: feelings that one does not belong with other people, feelings that one is a burden on others or societ y, and an acquired capability to overcome the fear and pain associated with suicide (Bryan, et al. p.1044). Feelings that one does not belong with other people seems to be the major reason for increasing suicide rates among soldiers. ... Socializing is an essential activity required for each human being to maintain a stable mental health. Military life provides less diversity for socializing activities. It should be noted that in normal life a person’s socializing habits takes place in a diverse environment; socializing with family members, socializing with relatives, socializing with peers, socializing with opposite sex, socializing with friends etc. On the other hand, in military life, socializing is only a one way traffic; socializing between the soldiers and that also only on specific occasions. Thus feelings of loneliness or feelings that one does not belong with other people may increase among soldiers, which may finally develop frustrations and subsequent suicide attempts. Feeling of unworthiness or feeling that one is a burden on others or society is another reason for suicide tendency among soldiers. As mentioned earlier, military life provides only limited opportunities for family life as far as a so ldier is concerned. A soldier may not be able to fulfill his family and social commitments while working in the military. The failure to fulfill these commitments may generate feeling of unworthiness among soldiers. Such feelings can also cause the development of suicide tendency. Acquired capability to overcome the fear and pain associated with suicide is the third major reason for increased suicide rates among military personnel. It should be noted that soldiers are brave people and they are engaged in acts like killing of enemies. In other words, killing or dying is not a fearful act for them. Thus when the feeling of unworthiness develops, soldiers are not hesitant in committing suicide. Army