SUICIDE IN UNITED-STATES-ARMY PERSONNEL, 1975-1976

The authors collected the line of duty investigatory file on each active duty Army completed suicide for calendar years 1975 and 1976, and tabulated data contained therein. There was a total of 255 cases during the 2-yr period, producing a suicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000. The male rate was 16.8, a rate higher than that reported for any of the Armed Services since World War II. The female rate was 9.9, but is based on only 9 cases. The heaviest concentration of male suicides was in the 20-24 age group, which had 103 of the 255 cases, and a rate of 18.3. There were 23 cases at age 23, with a rate of 26.4 - the highest single year age-specific rate until age 42 was reached. The following ratios obtained between comparison rates: male to female 1.7, enlisted to officer 1.7, white male to black male 1.9. The median length of service for both male and female enlisted suicides was 3.0 yr, for male officers 13.8 yr. Forty per cent of the entire group were single; 66% of all the cases had no children. Over one-half of the suicides took place at home-family quarter, apartment, parental home or barracks. The predominant method of self destruction was the firearm. June was the highest frequency month, Wednesday the day of the week. From a running list of stressful problems extant at the time of suicide, the most frequently occurring untoward circumstance was difficulty of one sort or another with the subject's love object. A 5-class taxonomy for categorizing the ascendant dysphoric motivational state precipitating the suicide was suggested from observations and commentary contained in the case files. The results of the stressful problem counts and the taxonomy tabulations can be interpreted as supporting Shneidman's position that suicide is primarily a dyadic phenomenon.