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Senator to explore military mental healthcare

The Army’s report on the increase in suicides among soldiers has altered the course of a Senate hearing scheduled in Tacoma, Wash., on Friday.

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, had scheduled the hearing in her home state to explore the unmet mental healthcare needs of service members and veterans.

With the release Thursday of the Army’s report, the suicide issue has now taken center stage.

The Army report indicates that suicides among soldiers has reached a 26-year high, with as many as 101 suicides during 2006, compared with 88 during 2005, 67 in 2004 and 79 in 2003.

According to the report, 30 of the 99 suicides in 2006 took place in war zones.

“This report is heartbreaking, and it’s a warning that unless we attack the stigma around mental healthcare and boost our outreach, we’re going to continue to lose even more service members on the battlefront and the home front,” Murray said in a press release. “That’s why I’ve called a Senate hearing for tomorrow in Tacoma to get the facts, uncover the barriers, and break them down.“Our service members make tremendous sacrifices, and the least we can do as a country is provide them with first-rate care and support,” Murray said in the release.

The hearing will feature testimony from veterans, mental health professionals, and top VA and National Guard officials.

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Soldier suicides at highest rate in 26 years