Description
Book SynopsisNot since the great military suicide epidemic of the American Civil War have we seen so many of our heroes, our soldiers and veterans, die by suicide. Why? War is violence. There is intent to cause death, or serious injury, or threat to the physical and psychological integrity of others. War stress is unforgiving. Suicide is an all too frequent response. Today, one member of the military dies by suicide every day. This is a new epidemic. This book addresses some tough questions: What do we know about suicides in the military? Are rates high? Or low? Is military suicide the same or different in the United States and Canada? Is military culture relevant? Do we know the causes, patterns, and associations? Is suicide among the armed forces similar to or different from suicide among civilians? Can it be altruistic? Through individual case studies and general/population approaches, we attempt to understand the cost of military service. It is especially through the personal stories of the
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART ONE Introduction
CHAPTER 1
The Military and Suicide
CHAPTER 2
Suicide
CHAPTER 3
The Psychological Autopsy
PART TWO Historical Study
CHAPTER 4
Military Suicide: A Classic Population Study
CHAPTER 5
Military Suicide: A Historical Individual Case Study
PART THREE Current Study
CHAPTER 6
Suicide among the American Armed Forces
CHAPTER 7
Suicide among the Canadian Forces
CHAPTER 8
Surveillance and the Reliability of Military Suicide Statistics
PART FOUR Beyond Suicide
CHAPTER 9
The Many Faces of Violence: Homicide, Accidental Deaths, Self-Harm, and Incarceration
PART FIVE Military Efforts
CHAPTER 10
The Psychology of Military Suicide
CHAPTER 11
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
CHAPTER 12
Suicide Prevention in the Military
PART SIX A Case Study
CHAPTER 13
A Soldier’s Story Told: A Psychological Autopsy
PART SEVEN Prevention and Policies
CHAPTER 14
Military Suicide: Policies and Prevention
References
Index
