Nobody wants to admit the leading cause of suicide in the military, probably in society in general, because it is politically sensitive. There is fear that announcing the leading demographic outright might make matters worse before it gets better. I have been a soldier in the US Army for 17 years, and the FBI has likely identified the cause of this trend using statistics.
The leading cause for suicide in the US military is that society is generally becoming increasingly incompatible with military service. The demographic least likely to commit suicide of any age range are black females. The demographic most likely to commit suicide are white males under the age of 25. It should be known that suicides occur among all races, genders, and ages. The problem, however, is not that suicide occurs but the quantity and trends with which it occurs.
The cultural generation born between the mid 1990-2005 are referred to as Millennials. This group is the first born into a world where the internet has always existed and divorce among their parents stands at record highs. This group is less willing to make social commitments, expects constant social feedback, and delays making life changing decisions longer than previous generations. Of particular concern is that this group tends to be nurtured more directly and longer than previous generations even while relationships of their elders disintegrate more rapidly.
In previous generations people learn some hard life lessons early in life. Not everybody gets to be a winner. Time is short. If you screw-up there is a punishment. Quitting is not acceptable when people depend upon you. Life isn't fair. Many Millennials are shielded from these harsh lessons by over protective guardians.
This profound change in social development has numerous consequences. Withdrawal from society and intimacy are perhaps the most common consequence for society generally. In the military you cannot hide from society, so simply withdrawing is not an option.
The military is also a highly confrontational environment. Positive confrontations are often regarded as a necessary quality in successful corporate environments, but not everybody is well prepared for communication that is so direct. Typically the confrontations in the corporate world are soft or rare for entry level positions, where the opposite is true in the military.
Historically military training has attempted to prepare people for this. Basic training is extremely confrontational and not in a positive way, but basic training is also a safe environment. In earlier times basic training was less safe thereby increasing stress for attendees. If a person is not sufficiently stressed during their entry level training they are ill-prepared to manage such stresses when their career becomes at risk.
The leading cause for suicide in the US military is that society is generally becoming increasingly incompatible with military service. The demographic least likely to commit suicide of any age range are black females. The demographic most likely to commit suicide are white males under the age of 25. It should be known that suicides occur among all races, genders, and ages. The problem, however, is not that suicide occurs but the quantity and trends with which it occurs.
The cultural generation born between the mid 1990-2005 are referred to as Millennials. This group is the first born into a world where the internet has always existed and divorce among their parents stands at record highs. This group is less willing to make social commitments, expects constant social feedback, and delays making life changing decisions longer than previous generations. Of particular concern is that this group tends to be nurtured more directly and longer than previous generations even while relationships of their elders disintegrate more rapidly.
In previous generations people learn some hard life lessons early in life. Not everybody gets to be a winner. Time is short. If you screw-up there is a punishment. Quitting is not acceptable when people depend upon you. Life isn't fair. Many Millennials are shielded from these harsh lessons by over protective guardians.
This profound change in social development has numerous consequences. Withdrawal from society and intimacy are perhaps the most common consequence for society generally. In the military you cannot hide from society, so simply withdrawing is not an option.
The military is also a highly confrontational environment. Positive confrontations are often regarded as a necessary quality in successful corporate environments, but not everybody is well prepared for communication that is so direct. Typically the confrontations in the corporate world are soft or rare for entry level positions, where the opposite is true in the military.
Historically military training has attempted to prepare people for this. Basic training is extremely confrontational and not in a positive way, but basic training is also a safe environment. In earlier times basic training was less safe thereby increasing stress for attendees. If a person is not sufficiently stressed during their entry level training they are ill-prepared to manage such stresses when their career becomes at risk.
Related: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/12/04/The-Sex...