Four Recent Suicides Worry West Point

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Washington Times
February 12, 2009
Pg. 2


Following four suicides at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, officials said Wednesday they are emphasizing to cadets that seeking help for mental health problems won't jeopardize their military careers.
In the past seven months, two cadets, a faculty member and a staff member at the academy have taken their own lives. The suicides were the first at the school in upstate New York since 1999.
They are part of a larger trend as the strained military wages war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army had its highest rate of suicide on record in 2008 and is investigating a spike in the number in January.
Academy Chaplain Col. John Cook, who addressed the issue Wednesday at a board meeting on Capitol Hill, said there does not appear to be a common denominator among the four West Point suicides - the most recent of which occurred in January. None of the four had faced a recent deployment, for example.
In addition to the suicides, two cadets recently attempted to take their own lives, he said.
 
looks like to me West Point needs a base/academy wide PME or presentation/class on suicide...apparently something is amiss up there and something needs to happen, maybe the Col. needs to be addressing the people under him and not the people on capitol hill...
 
It's a sad reality that occurs without fail in many countries around the world. It stems from a lack of understanding of mental health issues and the potential dangers that it could lead to, however, the male stereotype that men do not talk about things that affect them, unfortunately does not help to bring about a healthier community.

This is truly a tragic, avoidable occurrence. Hopefully, this will shed awareness and light onto the rest.
 
they have also had 10 attempts as well. at the Naval Academy, we have had 5 this year. I didnt even know that until my company commander mentioned it while talking to us about the suicides at West Point. This is terrible.
 
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