Panic and Anxiety Among Some Soldiers Contributes to High Suicide Rate

Post-traumatic stress disorder belongs to the family of panic and anxiety disorders and has become an increasingly difficult battle for soldiers returning from combat.  One of the most shocking and disquieting trends that is now being observed closely is the rate of suicides in the armed forces as a result of a panic and anxiety disorder.  According to report from Congressional Quarterly, more soldiers were lost to suicide than in either Afghanistan or Iraq in 2009, with suicide rates being very high among both veterans and active duty personnel.  Of the 30,000 suicides each year in the United States, approximately 20% are by veterans. 

Panic and anxiety disorders have always accompanied soldiers in combat, even if such disorders were known by a different name.  The Spartans referred to PTSD-like symptoms as “fear shedding”; it was known as “shell shock” during the First World War and “combat fatigue” in the Second.  Today, much more is known about PTSD and other panic and anxiety disorders, but this knowledge has not always been fully implemented to aid those returning from America's overseas wars, especially those most at risk.

However, fully one third of the suicides in the armed forces are among soldiers who have never been deployed to active duty, suggesting that the social stigma of mental illness and panic and anxiety is still prevalent within the military community.  The military has been adapting in recent years to erase this stigma and has strongly encouraged soldiers to seek help if experiencing symptoms of panic and anxiety disorders.  The aim is to remove any suggestion that seeking help may be a sign of weakness, and both the Defense Department and the Veterans Administration have been aggressively developing new programs to aid those afflicted with panic and anxiety as a result of their combat experience.