C7

Michael Staples

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Military members, along with their families and friends, are anxiously awaiting the release later this year of a report on suicide rates in the Canadian Forces.

Enlarge Photo

The Canadian Press

A soldier pauses as troops climb aboard a plane at the Edmonton International Airport last month as they deploy for a nine month tour of duty in Afghanistan. The Canadian Forces says there is no consistent relationship discovered between deployment and an increased risk of suicide among our troops.

The issue is being examined by a Canadian Forces expert panel.

Concern over the topic last month served as the catalyst to bring together a collection of civilian and military representatives from this country, the U.S., Great Britain, Australia and the Netherlands.

The special panel, which met in Halifax, explored literature and best practices from around the world related to suicide prevention.

According to the military, from 2005 to 2008, there were 39 suicides among male members, representing a rate of 17.9 per 100,000, or one in 5,587.

Figures show suicide rates for males in the Forces have remained relatively steady over the last four years with 13 soldiers taking their lives in 2008.

The 17.9 per 100,000 rate actually represents a drop from the 19.1 registered from 2000-2004.

The reduction suggests actions being taken by the military in this area appear to be working, but the fact soldiers are still taking their own lives means there is still lots to do.

According to the military, the rate of suicide among Canadian males from 2000 to 2004 approximated 25 per 100,000, or one in 4,000.

Over the same period, the rate of suicide among male CF personnel was one in 5,236.

"This means that the rate of suicide among male CF personnel between 2000 and 2004 was about 75 per cent of the rate among Canadian males, once the two figures have been age-standardized," the military said in a backgrounder prepared on the topic.

The military goes on to say that the rate of suicide among Canadian females over the 2000-04 period ranged from one-fifth to one-third the rate among Canadian males, while the rate of suicide among female CF personnel was extremely low.

There were no suicides among female personnel from 1995 to 2001; one in 2002, two in 2003, none in 2004 or 2005, one in 2006, one in 2007 and one in 2008, noted the military.

Statistical comparisons beyond 2004 covering the overall population cannot be used since Statistics Canada has yet to make information on Canadian mortality rates available for this period, the military said.

In its backgrounder on the topic, the military says no consistent relationship has been discovered between deployment and increased risk of suicide.

"Nevertheless, there is a pre-deployment mental health screening process in place for CF personnel, and troops are prepared in various ways to deal with possible trauma overseas.

"For those personnel deploying on stressful operations and missions, good mission preparation and training are critical."

All military personnel returning from an international operation of 60 days or more undergo an Enhanced Post-deployment Screening Process.

This takes place between 90 and 180 days after their return to Canada, although nothing prevents an individual who has any concerns from coming forward to seek help at an earlier time, the military said.

"The post-deployment screening is meant to better identify those with deployment-related problems, with a particular focus on psychological problems," said the backgrounder.

"The CF member completes a detailed health questionnaire and has an in-depth interview with a mental health professional. The interviewer completes a form recording a clinical impression and a recommendation for follow-up care."

The Canadian Forces also offers suicide intervention training ranging from a two-day, skill-based workshop to shorter awareness sessions based on identifying signs, symptoms and resources.

The Forces' special panel is set to deliver its findings on suicide and its prevention to the Canadian Forces Surgeon General before 2010, although no exact date has been released.

The report's recommendations, once they are validated, are expected to be used to enhance the current CF suicide prevention program.

Although it's easy to sit back and say suicide rates in the Forces are less than what they are in the general public, any such death, military or otherwise, is unfortunate and indicative of a problem.

Something has to be causing it.

Michael Staples covers the military for The Daily Gleaner. He can be reached at staples.michael@dailygleaner.com.