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Suicide rate increasing among Queensland soldiers
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| FEARS about the mental welfare of Queensland Diggers have intensified with revelations that suicide rates among soldiers are increasing. Defence documents show that 10 Queensland defence personnel allegedly took their own lives since 2007 four in 2010 alone. State and defence coroners are also investigating two suspected suicides this year. Both cases were soldiers posted to Queensland army units. In total, the ADF has recorded 31 suspected suicides nationally and overseas since 2005 across the army, navy and air force. Young Diggers president John Jarratt said the statistics were concerning but the suicide rate was "in reality probably much higher". "Those figures only take into account the ones that defence knows about, the men and women who take their own lives whilst enlisted," Mr Jarratt said. "The number of people who have committed suicide since being discharged from the defence forces is harder to quantify. "It doesn't appear that anyone is keeping track of the real number." A Veterans' Affairs spokeswoman said the department was unable to provide any "comprehensive data" on suicide rates among veterans. "DVA only records a reason for death where the cause of death is relevant to a claim for compensation," she said. A study by Professor David Dunt in 2009 highlighted the need for more extensive data to better inform defence and veterans welfare agencies. The latest figures come after the return of Brisbane soldiers from an eight-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. The deployment proved to be the bloodiest in the protracted conflict so far, with 10 Diggers killed in action. Six of those soldiers were from Brisbane-based units the biggest loss for the Enoggera army base since the Vietnam War. According to the data, four Queensland-based defence personnel committed suicide in 2010 compared to one in 2009, two in 2008 and three in 2007. Since 2007, four of the 10 suicide victims had been deployed overseas. Issues such as multiple deployments, bullying and fear of being seen as weak by superiors have been highlighted as potential precursors to Diggers' mental health problems. |
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