Suicides among US Army active-duty soldiers were up by 46 percent last quarter compared to the same time in 2020, according to a new Pentagon report.
In the second quarter of this year, 60 active-duty members of the Army took their own lives, compared to 41 in the second quarter of 2020.
The number of suicides was also up 41 percent among Navy personnel, from 12 in the second quarter of last year, to 17 in 2021.
Between April and June, 139 military personnel across all branches, both active and reserve, have died by suicide.
That figure is more than double the 67 military personnel who have died from COVID-19.
Suicides among active-duty military personnel have steadily increased each year, from 267 in 2015 to 384 in 2020, according to the Department of Defense report.
This year until June 30, 174 active duty servicemembers took their own lives.
Suicides among US Army active-duty soldiers were up by 46 percent last quarter compared to the same time in 2020, according to a new Pentagon report
In the second quarter of this year, 60 active-duty members of the Army took their own lives, compared to 41 in the second quarter of 2020
Experts have said the pandemic could be a factor in the increased number of suicide deaths.
'The pandemic has fundamentally changed us in a lot of ways,' Army Veterans and Texas A&M Sociologist Jeffrey Yarvis told KWTX last week.
'It’s caused a lot of isolation and can influence unit cohesion, belongingness and togetherness. So, if you’re cut off from that family a little more, I think it makes things difficult.'
Last month, the military released data showing that suicides in the armed forces increased by 15 percent in 2020, primarily in
