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| Suicides in the Army have now surpassed the rate of combat fatalities. (photo: US Army) |
20 August 12
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the suicide rate among soldiers climbs to the highest levels in
history, the Army is hoping Americans might one day treat their mental
health woes with a single sniff.
The Army has just handed a $3 million grant to
researchers at the University of Indiana's School of Medicine for the
creation of an anti-suicide nasal spray. The project, to be led by Dr.
Michael Kubek, an associate professor of neurobiology, is arguably one
of the more unusual military efforts to thwart a record number of
suicides among active-duty personnel and veterans.
"Suicide is the toughest enemy I have faced in my 37
years in the Army," Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the Army's vice chief of
staff, said this week in announcing new suicide numbers. Austin is
spearheading his service's efforts to find ways to halt the surge in
suicides.
"That said, I do believe suicide is preventable,"
Austin added. "To combat it effectively will require sophisticated
solutions aimed at helping individuals to build resiliency and
strengthen their life coping skills."
According to Kubek and his colleagues, a snort of
their suicide-stopping neurochemical - a naturally occurring compound
called thyrotropin-releasing hormone, or TRH - could be the solution.
Suicide among American troops has increased steadily
since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In July, the number
of suicides among active-duty soldiers reached 26 - more than double
the number in June and the highest for any month since the Army began
keeping such statistics. READ MORE
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