Are Suicides An Important Concern For Army Special Forces Operators?
The Suicidal Behavior in US Army Special Operations Forces study revealed that operators have a significantly lower “volume” of suicidal behavior. Specifically, SOF operators showed 90% lower suicide attempt rates and 80% lower ideation rates than the regular enlisted force. Even compared to their own SOF support personnel, operators had 70% lower rates of both attempts and ideation. However, the “lethality” of these actions is where the concern deepens. While a regular soldier might have an attempt-to-death ratio of 15 to 1, an SOF operator’s ratio is a staggering 2.1 to 1. This means that for every two operators who attempt suicide, one dies. This high “success” rate in self-harm is why we must conclude that yes, suicides are a massive concern, even if the number of individuals reaching that breaking point is smaller than in the general population.