Mental health challenges elevating in the military ranks

SALT LAKE CITY — Even as American military leaders position the U.S. armed forces to "fight and win our nation's wars" amid global volatility, the mental health of men and women serving in uniform remains a critical issue.

Diagnoses of mental health disorders among active-duty military personnel jumped almost 40% between 2019 and 2023, according to a Department of Defense Defense Health Agency report released in December.

Over that four-year period, a total of 541,672 active component U.S. service members were diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder.

The Department of Defense's Medical Surveillance Monthly Report highlighting mental health disorders among active-duty service members comes about a year after the department reported that, in 2023, 523 U.S. service members died by suicide — an increase from the 2022 total of 493.

Caring for those volunteering to defend America remains a top priority, said U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

"Mental health is health, period. We must do more, at every level, to end the stigma against getting help. We all need counsel, community and connection. Reaching out is a sign of strength and resilience."

Utah, of course, is home to thousands of men and women serving on active duty or in the reserves — along with tens of thousands of military veterans. Large local military installations such as Hill Air Force Base and the Utah National Guard's Camp Williams offer a variety of mental health resources to assist service members and their families.

The message found on the Hill Air Force Base site is one repeated throughout the U.S. military community: You are not alone.

New Year's Day tragedies in New Orleans, Las Vegas

The Defense Department's report was released shortly before two separate Jan. 1 tragedies perpetrated by individuals with military ties. Although it is still not fully known what role mental health issues played in either incident, they have prompted discussions on the well-being and mental health monitoring of active duty military members and veterans, alike.

In New Orleans, Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar was killed by police following a truck attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens more. It is being investigated as a terrorist act, according to the Associated Press.

That same day in Las Vegas, Matthew Livelsberger, an active duty member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, took his own life with a gun in a rented Cybertruck packed with explosives shortly before it blew up outside of the entrance of the Trump International Hotel, injuring seven people.

Investigators said Livelsberger wrote that the explosion was meant to serve as a "wake up call" and that the country was "terminally ill and headed toward collapse," the Associated Press reported.

On Friday, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh was asked if the military is doing enough to monitor the mental health of military members and veterans.

"We have a variety of resources available to our service members ... that include those resources available within the chain of command, (resources) available on base and, of course, we have the Military OneSource that's available online," said Singh.

The Pentagon spokesperson added, "You have to remember that the vast majority of men and women who serve in uniform do so every single day with honor, integrity and character — while upholding their oath to protect and defend the Constitution."

Defense Department: Anxiety and depression most common mental health challenges

Mental health disorders related to adjustment, anxiety and depression remain the most common diagnoses, according to the Department of Defense report. Incidence rates for anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder increased substantially — almost doubling from 2019 to 2023.

"Efforts to assist and treat service members," the report noted, "should continue to promote help-seeking behavior to improve their psychological and emotional well-being and reduce the burden of mental health disorders — especially as rates have been increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic."

Between 2019 and 2020 there was a temporary decline in the diagnoses of most mental health disorders in active duty military personnel between 2019 and 2022, corresponding with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. That trend among military personnel ran counter with national trends among civilians, which witnessed increases in adverse mental health conditions connected to the pandemic.

"That decrease may, instead, be related to service members choosing to defer care due to the pandemic, similar to temporary disruptions in routine and non-emergency medical care observed in the general U.S. population," according to the report.

Overall, the Army had the highest rate of mental health disorders — although the Navy accounted for the highest rates of depressive disorders, bipolar disorder and personality disorders.

The Coast Guard accounted for the highest rates of acute stress disorders, according to the report.

Over the past several years, the percentage of adults in the United States with anxiety and depression symptoms increased significantly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similar trends were observed among members of the armed forces.

In the general U.S. population, a significant increase was seen in the percentage of adults with anxiety symptoms (from 15.6% to 18.2%, respectively) and depression symptoms (from 18.5% to 21.4%, respectively) between 2019 and 2022, the CDC reported.

Higher PTSD rates for females, health care workers

No surprise, the PTSD rates for active duty military members "increased nearly six-fold" from 2003 to 2008, likely reflecting the psychological effects exacted by Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, according to the report.

PTSD rates increased in subsequent peacetime operations. From 2000 to 2011, PTSD rates were reportedly higher among men.

In contrast, from 2019 to 2023, the incidence of PTSD in (active duty) females was consistently twice the rate of male counterparts, while also increasing with age.

Read the entire story at Deseret.com.

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