Mental disorders are on the rise in the military and now account for more hospitalizations than any other condition, according to a new health report from the Department of Defense.
According to a report from the Defense Health Agency, diagnoses of mental disorders have increased by 40% over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023. It showed that anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have doubled in the past five years.
In active service in 2023 members of the service Experiencing a mental health disorder made up 54.8% of hospital bed stays, more than all other conditions combined.
From 2019 to 2023, 541,672 on active duty Service members at all sites had at least one diagnosis mental health disorderthe report said. About 47% of them were diagnosed with more than one mental disorder. In 2023, there were 1.3 million active-duty U.S. troops.
The sobering report follows the New Year’s Day vehicle attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people, which revealed that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a multi-deployment Army veteran.
That same day, Colonel Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army Green Berets, shot himself in the head in Las Vegas in a Cybertruck packed with explosives.
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Mental disorders are on the rise within the military and now account for more hospitalizations than any other condition, according to a new Pentagon health report. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
“As military personnel increasingly experience mental health disorders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking help to address both psychological and emotional well-being should be prioritized to maintain armed forces readiness,” the report said.
The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment on what’s behind the increase in diagnoses and whether U.S. forces are mentally prepared to go into battle if necessary.
Female soldiers, those who are younger and those who are serving the armywere most likely to be diagnosed.
The Navy led all other branches of depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and personality disorders.
Active duty female military personnel were twice as likely to be diagnosed with PTSD than their male counterparts.
The medical data came from records accessed through the Defense Medical Surveillance System and Theater Medical Data Store. It analyzed ambulance encounters, hospitalizations or outpatient visits to a psychiatric facility and other factors to define a mental health diagnosis.
Meanwhile, military suicides rose again last year, following a dark trend the Pentagon has struggled to combat.
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According to a report from the Defense Health Agency, diagnoses of mental disorders increased by 40% between 2019 and 2023. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
In 2023, active duty military personnel with a mental health disorder made up 54.8% of hospital bed stays, more than all other conditions combined. (U.S. Army photo by Markus Rauchenberger)
A total of 523 suicides were reported in 2023, according to the most recent data available, up from 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty military personnel who died by suicide rose to 363 from 331 the year before, an increase of 12%.
Suicide is by far the biggest cause of death among military personnel and kills more than training accidents, illnesses, homicides or combat, according to the Department of Defense (DOD). In addition to the enormous number, the number of suicides per 100,000 also increased last year.
Deaths by suicide on active duty service members have been on the rise since 2011.
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Another troubling sign from the data is the number of suicide victims who sought help: 67% had a primary care consultation in the 90 days before their death; 34% had attended an outpatient mental health center; 8% had been discharged from an inpatient mental health facility; and 18% were taking psychotropic medications at the time of their death.
Within a year prior to their death, 44% of military suicide victims reported problems with intimate relationships, and 42% reported a behavioral health diagnosis.
