Rising suicide rates in the Army are analyzed in a new initiative

Three new studies published simultaneously in JAMA Psychiatry investigate mental health issues within the Army. The studies look at mental disorders among non-deployed soldiers, suicidal behavior among soldiers and predictors of suicide among soldiers.

The new studies were conducted by members of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) initiative.

Army STARRS was launched in 2009 to address the Army's concern over the rising suicide rate among soldiers.

Previously, the suicide rate for Army personnel has been lower than the suicide rate in the general population. But since 2002, the suicide rate among soldiers has risen, reaching record heights in 2007, 2008 - when it exceeded the civilian rate for the first time - and 2009, before receding slightly in 2010.

To form Army STARRS, the Army partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health and investigators from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland, Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, University of Michigan and University of California.

The Army STARRS team created a secure database with more than 1 billion Army records and 3,000 types of information. In addition to historical data, Army STARRS collects new data from American soldiers posted all over the world.

Mental disorders among non-deployed soldiers