The suicide rate among U.S. soldiers in Iraq increased in 2005 after falling the previous year, according to a study by the U.S. Army. The study reported 22 soldiers serving in Iraq and Kuwait committed suicide last year, compared to 12 in 2004 and 25 in 2003. The suicide rate was 19.9 per 100,000 in 2005, substantially higher than the rate in 2004, of 10.5 per 100,000. For the U.S. Army overall, the suicide rate was also up in 2005 to 13.1 per 100,000 from 11.0 per 100,000 in 2004, the study said. The majority of the suicides involved white, unmarried males under the age of thirty who were enlisted soldiers of a junior rank. In most cases the cause of death was a gunshot wound. The study determined that leading suicide risks factors were relationship issues at home and in theater, followed by legal actions, problems with fellow soldiers and command and duty performance, said Jerry Harben of the US Army Medical Command Public Affairs in a statement. The focus on suicide figures was part of a broader study examining the mental health and morale of army soldiers deployed in Iraq. In a survey of 1,800 soldiers in October and November, 13.6 percent had acute stress symptoms and 16.5 percent suffered a combination of depression, anxiety and acute stress. These figures were higher than recorded in 2004 but lower than 2003. Successive deployments also raised those figures, with 18.4 percent of those on a follow-up deployment reporting acute stress compared to 12.5 percent in their first deployment. Soldiers who returned to Iraq for several tours also reported that their families suffered more stress and complained that they were not given enough time between deployments.
