Noteboom The Law Firm

Marines See Large Decline In Suicides in 2010

January 13, 2011 - Suicides among military personnel have been significant over the course of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following years of funding research, every branch has developed and implemented their own suicide prevention programs over the last few years. Some of these programs have been much more successful than others, leading to very different suicide statistics for each individual branch of the military.  

As 2010 came to a close, the Marine Corps saw a significant drop in the rate of suicides among Marines. The numbers at the end of 2010 reflected their lowest suicide rates since 2008. The preliminary numbers the Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Program released show 2010 saw 37 Marine deaths from either suspected or actual suicides. In 2009, 52 Marines took their own lives. This reflects a 29% drop over the course of a single year.

Conversely, attempted suicides are still on the rise, and have been since 2006, according to released figures. In 2010, 9 more Marines attempted suicide than the previous year. Year end numbers for 2010 show 173 Marines attempted suicide.

The Marines are constantly evolving and adapting in an attempt to overcome the high rates of suicides in the military. Their future plans including expanding their NCO Suicide Prevention Program, and continue to advance their new DSTRESS hotline, which is a hotline made available to Marines on the West Coast in which they can seek help for personal problems.