title: Understanding and preventing military suicide.
abstract: The continual rise in the U.S. military's suicide rate since 2004 is one of the most vexing issues currently facing military leaders, mental health professionals, and suicide experts. Despite considerable efforts to address this problem, however, suicide rates have not decreased. The authors consider possible reasons for this frustrating reality, and question common assumptions and approaches to military suicide prevention. They further argue that suicide prevention efforts that more explicitly embrace the military culture and implement evidence-based strategies across the full spectrum of prevention and treatment could improve success. Several recommendations for augmenting current efforts to prevent military suicide are proposed.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Veterans Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA. craig.bryan@utah.edu
authors.forename: Craig J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.forename: Keith W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Jobes
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000092864:Suicide Prevention