HUFFPO: Study Reveals A Vet Commits Suicide Every 80 Minutes

A U.S. veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes, according to a study that was highlighted on the Huffington Post today.

Here's an excerpt from the story on Patch's sister online publication:

Military suicides have increased since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a Center for a New American Security Suicide report. In the fiscal year 2009 alone, 1,868 veterans of these wars have made suicide attempts, according to armytimes.com.

These staggering figures underscore the need for the VA to develop more mental-health programs and an accurate system for recording the number of veterans and service members who take their lives.

"America is losing its battle against suicide by veterans and service members," authors Dr. Margaret C. Harrell and Nancy Berglass concluded. "And as more troops return from deployment, the risk will only grow."

The study hits close to home in the South Sound. In recent months, reports have surfaced on the increase of suicides at Joint Base Lewis-Mchord, the home installation for thousands of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to The Daily Beast, there have been "11 suspicious deaths" reported at JBLM this year. The Army has yet to declare them suicides.

(Click here to read the Huffington Post story)