Suicide fears for 700 troops a year MOD ‘must tackle PTSD’
SERVING troops are trying to kill themselves or self-harming at the rate of two a DAY, horrifying figures reveal.
The toll released in Mental Health Awareness week raises fresh questions over forces’ handling of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder.
The “snapshot” showed 61 incidents in January alone.
Official Ministry of Defence statistics disclose that the troops who sought help had attempted to hang themselves, overdose or slash their wrists with a knife.
But military mental health support groups say the figure is the “tip of the iceberg” and warn that many of those self-harming could attempt suicide.
The figures mean that over 700 military personnel could attempt suicide or self-harm if the number of incidents continue at the same rate for the next 12 months.
So far this year at least five soldiers are feared to have killed themselves.
Freedom of Information figures show that 46 soldiers, seven members of the Royal Navy and eight personnel serving in the RAF attempted suicide or injured themselves in January alone.
Female troops are also more than twice as likely to self-harm than male colleagues, MOD figures show.
One soldier who selfharmed, who asked not to be identified, said it helped him cope with stress, a fear of failure and letting down his
colleagues. He said:
“I’ve been doing it on and off for five years. I cut myself and burnt my arm with an iron – that way if anyone asks I can say it was an accident.
“I know it’s a mental health issue and I should get help but I’m concerned it will have an impact on my career.
“I’m a lance corporal in the infantry and I’d effectively be blacklisted. I’m not the only one who feels like this. We had a suicide on the base last year and the message sent down the line was that the individual was weak and a liability.”
Jeff Williams, of Veterans United
Against Suicide, said: “It is very likely the situation is worse than the figures show given that many cases will never be identified. Many soldiers and veterans who self-harm later take their own lives. It’s a major problem.”
Former Royal Marine Simon Maryan, of charity Icarus, said: “We’ve seen an increase in serving personnel from across all services getting in touch with for help. They all say they are afraid to speak to superiors as they will have a black mark placed on their career. Others said they have been bullied.”
The People’s Save Our Soldiers campaign is calling for a overhaul of how the MOD tackles PTSD.
An MOD spokesman said: “We take deliberate self harm and attempted suicide extremely seriously and make sure anyone at risk receives specialist medical attention.