Mental and social health issues and conditions of Soldiers are routinely monitored and evaluated using epidemiological techniques to report trends in all-cause mortality including suicide, as well as mental health such as
substance abuse and dependence and
psychosocial problems.
For more information, visit
DCPH-A Periodic Publications and Surveillance Reports and Reports about Mental and Social Health in the Military.
Key findings are summarized below.
TOPICS AND POPULATIONS
-
All-cause mortality (Mortality Surveillance in the U.S. Army, 2014 – 2019)
- 5 leading causes of death in active-duty U.S. Army Soldiers, 2019:
- Suicide by Gunshot Wound
- Motor Vehicle Crashes
- Suicide by Hangings/Asphyxiations
- Neoplasms/Cancer
- Combat
-
Medical non-readiness (2023 Health of the Force Report)
- In 2022, 14% of Active Component (AC) U.S. Service members were diagnosed with one or more mental health (MH) disorders.
- MH diagnoses impact medical non-readiness and account for the 2nd highest number of medical encounters and the highest number of hospitalized days among AC Soldiers.
- Adjustment disorders are the leading reason for MH medical visits, followed by anxiety disorder, mood disorder (for example: depression), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorder (SUD) among AC Soldiers.
-
Suicidal behavior
- The
Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO)
releases a yearly report describing trends in suicidal behavior (suicide and suicide attempt) across Services. Refer to the latest report below for the most up-to-date information:
-
Substance abuse and dependence (e.g., alcohol and opioids) (Surveillance of Substance Abuse and Dependence: U.S. Army Soldiers, January 2016–December 2019)
- From 2016 to 2019, a total of 672,236 medical encounters for substance abuse or dependence were documented among 38,162 Active Component U.S. Army Soldiers.
- Alcohol, cannabis, and opioids were the most frequently documented substances.
- In 2016, of the Soldiers who completed the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), 7% screened positive for hazardous drinking on the Periodic Health Assessment (PHA).
- Of the Soldiers prescribed opioids, 8% had a high-dose prescription. High-dose opioid prescriptions may increase the risk of substance misuse, addiction, overdose, or accidential death.
-
Mental health monitoring - active duty soldiers (Behavioral Health Monitoring Among Active Duty U.S. Army Soldiers, 2016-2020)
- The annual prevalence of diagnosed mental health disorders showed a slight, but significant downward trend, from 15% in 2017 to 13% in 2020 among male active-duty (AD) Soldiers and from 24% in 2016 to 21% in 2020 among female AD Soldiers.
- The prevalence of diagnosed MH disorders increased by 10% from the youngest to the oldest age groups (i.e., from Soldiers younger than age 25 to Soldiers age 45 or older).
- Adjustment disorders had the highest prevalence among both men and women and was responsible for the largest number of temporary profiles for mental health.
- Senior enlisted Soldiers had the greatest odds of mental health diagnosis, when compared with commissioned Officers in a model adjusted for marital status and race-ethnicity.
- Both married Soldiers and formerly married Soldiers (i.e., those who were divorced or widowed) had higher odds of mental health diagnosis, when compared with single Soldiers in a model adjusted for rank and race-ethnicity.
- Over the 5-year period from 2016–2020, 50% of Soldiers had at least one medical encounter for mental health reasons, involving either diagnosed disorders or mental health-related concerns such as relationship problems or work stress.
- When mental health affects a Soldier's readiness due to the impact on functioning, safety, or stability--and this is by no means always the case--the person may be given a profile or hospitalized. A calculation based on the number and length of mental health-related profiles and hospitalizations suggests that each day, during 2016–2020, 3000 Soldiers were sufficiently impaired as to be nondeployable.
-
Study reporting an Association between Food Insecurity and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) (The Association Between Food Insecurity and Intimate Partner Violence among US Army Soldiers)
- Rates of food insecurity in the military are high with reports between 25% and 33%, compared to approximately 10% among the civilian population.
- This study sought to determine if food insecurity was associated with intimate partner violence (IPV).
- In a multivariable model, marginally food insecure respondents had 2.05-fold greater adjusted odds of reporting any IPV victimization when compared to highly food secure respondents (95% confidence interval: 1.40-3.00). Marginally food insecure respondents were two-times more likely to report any IPV victimization when compared to highly food secure respondents (OR 2.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.40-3.00).
- Food insecurity can negatively impact emotional and physical health due to lack of proper nutrition.
- By addressing both food insecurity and IPV, the military has the potential to increase the overall well-being of its service members and their families.
-
Study reporting an association between food insecurity and mental health “A 2019 survey of Soldiers at a large U.S. Army installation provided 5,677 responses which gave insight into the influence of food insecurity on mental health and intentions to leave military service." (For detailed methods and findings, see the July 2021 article published in the Journal of Nutrition).
- Key findings:
- Food insecurity was defined as a lack of reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food.
- One-third of all respondents were classified as marginally food insecure.
- Food insecurity was associated with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, and, in turn, associated with intentions to leave the Army.
- The percentage of respondents who reported mental health conditions was as follows:
-
13.23% Suicidal Ideation;
-
17.89% Anxiety;
-
17.94% Depression.
- Intention to leave the Army, after the current term of service, was reported by approximately 52% of all respondents.
Conclusion: Enhancing food security in the military could improve mental health and subsequently, retention in service.
Department of Defense efforts: In November 2021, the DoD addressed economic security in the Force, acknowledging the challenges of Service members and families.
What DoD has done to address economic security:
Ongoing efforts address a breadth of issues across
six lines of effort designed to:
- increase access to healthy food
- enhance spouse economic opportunities
- appraise Service member pay and benefits
- reinforce financial resources and awareness
- encourage Service members and families to seek available resources and services
- expand collection of data to improve understanding of Service member needs and challenges and report findings to inform policies and decisions to support Service members and their families.
ROUTINE AND RECURRING REPORTING
Routine and recurring reports are produced and examine suicidal behaviors, mental health, mortality and substance abuse and dependence.
-
Surveillance of Suicidal Behavioral Publication (SSBP):
Reports on suicides and suicide attempts among U.S. Army Active Component (AC) and Reserve Component (RC) (including Army National Guard (ARNG) and U.S. Army Reserve (USAR)).
-
Mortality Surveillance: Describes the overall characteristics of U.S. Army Soldiers who have died, assesses trends in annual crude mortality rates, and compares direct age- and sex-adjusted mortality rates between the U.S. and Army populations.
-
Substance Abuse and Dependence Reporting: Describes characteristics of populations who 1) had at least one medical visit for substance abuse or dependence, 2) had a prescription for opioid medication, or 3) who were at high risk for hazardous drinking behavior.
For more information or to request services,
contact us.
