Mental health disorders are on the rise in the military, now accounting for more hospitalizations than any other illness, according to a new health report from the Department of Defense.
Diagnoses of mental health disorders increased 40% over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023, according to a Defense Health Agency report. It found that anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doubled over a five-year period.
In 2023, on active duty military people with a mental health disorder accounted for 54.8% of hospital stays, more than all other conditions combined.
From 2019 to 2023, 541,672 people on active duty service members of all branches have been diagnosed with at least one mental health disorderaccording to the report. About 47% of them were diagnosed with more than one mental health disorder. In 2023, there were 1.3 million U.S. troops on active duty.
This sobering report follows the New Year’s Eve vehicular attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people, revealing that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran with multiple deployments .
The same day, in Las Vegas, Colonel Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army Green Berets, shot himself in the head aboard a Cybertruck filled with explosives.
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Mental health disorders are on the rise in the military, now accounting for more hospitalizations than any other illness, according to a new Pentagon health report. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
“As service members continue to experience increased rates of mental health disorders following the COVID-19 pandemic, help-seeking behaviors aimed at improving their psychological and emotional well-being should be prioritized in order to maintain the state of force preparation,” the report states.
The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment on what is behind the rise in diagnoses and whether U.S. forces are mentally prepared to go into combat if necessary.
Military women, those who are younger and those in the armywere most likely to be diagnosed.
The Navy led all other branches in depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, and personality disorders.
Active-duty military women were diagnosed with PTSD twice as often as their male counterparts.
The medical data came from records accessible through the Defense Medical Surveillance System and the 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 grim trend the Pentagon had a hard time fighting.
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Diagnoses of mental health disorders increased by 40% between 2019 and 2023, according to a Defense Health Agency report. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
In 2023, active-duty military personnel with a mental health disorder accounted for 54.8% of hospital stays, more than all other conditions combined. (U.S. Army photo by Markus Rauchenberger)
Overall, 523 suicides were reported in 2023, the most recent data available, compared to 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty troops who committed suicide increased to 363 from 331 the previous year, up by 12%.
Suicide is by far the leading cause of death among military personnel, killing more than training accidents, illness, homicide or combat, according to the Department of Defense (DOD). In addition to the number, the rate of suicides per 100,000 population also increased last year.
Suicide deaths by active duty military have been increasing 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 encounter in the 90 days before their death; 34% had been to an outpatient mental health center; 8% had left an inpatient mental health facility; and 18% were taking psychotropic medications at the time of death.
Less than a year before their death, 44% of military suicide victims reported intimate relationship problems and 42% reported a behavioral health diagnosis.