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I came across this sobering and informative article on Active History several days ago while doing some research. Although it is from 2014, the topic is relevant to the history of the Great War. I have copied a portion of the article, which is fairly long, and includes graphs. The direct link is at the bottom of this post.
Soldier Suicide after the Great War: A First Look, By Jonathan Scotland, March 24, 2014
"With few exceptions, Canadian historians ignore the question of soldier suicide.[1] The military has done a better job of studying the issue and now recognizes that solder suicide is a serious concern. In 2012, the Department of National Defence released Suicide in the Canadian Force, 1995-2012, only the second such report in the military’s history. It found no significant increase in suicide rates between the mid 1990s and the end of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. In fact, the report concluded that suicide rates in the military were lower than the civilian population.
This should be no surprise. Recruits, after all, are screened before they join the forces. That there was no statistically significant increase in suicide, despite perceptions to the contrary, is more surprising. This finding is supported by new research on suicide more generally and recent studies have found that old ideas about rising suicide rates, particularly in modern urban environments, are simply not born out by the evidence.
What we lack is a historical picture to put these deaths in context. Not a single study exists on Canadian suicide in the First World War. The same is true of the Second World War, Korea, and our many peacekeeping missions. Veterans of each conflict have been similarly overlooked. Even the statistics we do have are incomplete. Charles Campbell’s death certificate makes no mention of suicide, for instance. The cause of death is listed simply as “gun shot wound.”
Campbell’s case also highlights a major difference between the reporting of soldier suicide today versus the years following the First World War. Of the men and women who have recently taken their lives, the majority were serving members of the military. Campbell, however, killed himself after demobilization. Were he a veteran of Afghanistan, his case would not be recorded. The same is true if he were a reservist.
Despite the difficulties in making sense of the sources, my doctoral research on the impact of the First World War on Canadian men has not been able to escape the question of soldier suicide. Much like today’s media, Canadian veteran suicides were very much in the news in the years after the war. The resulting coverage of these veterans’ deaths provides one window onto the struggles returned men faced after the war.
The following charts illustrate male suicides reported in the Globe and the Toronto Star respectively in the year immediately following the war. They are by no means comprehensive, but they do provide a first glance at the issue. Each chart divides the reported suicides into two categories: total reported male suicides (including veteran status) and reported male suicides by veteran status and by age.
The conclusions are striking. In 1919, nearly 40% of reported suicides involved veterans. Moreover, if only the suicides of men aged 18-39 (those most likely to serve) are considered, then the percentage of reported veteran suicides doubles to nearly 80%. Clearly the suicides being reported in the press were disproportionately soldier suicides...."
http://activehistory.ca/2014/03/soldier-suicide-after-the-great-war-a-first-look/
Soldier Suicide after the Great War: A First Look, By Jonathan Scotland, March 24, 2014
"With few exceptions, Canadian historians ignore the question of soldier suicide.[1] The military has done a better job of studying the issue and now recognizes that solder suicide is a serious concern. In 2012, the Department of National Defence released Suicide in the Canadian Force, 1995-2012, only the second such report in the military’s history. It found no significant increase in suicide rates between the mid 1990s and the end of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. In fact, the report concluded that suicide rates in the military were lower than the civilian population.
This should be no surprise. Recruits, after all, are screened before they join the forces. That there was no statistically significant increase in suicide, despite perceptions to the contrary, is more surprising. This finding is supported by new research on suicide more generally and recent studies have found that old ideas about rising suicide rates, particularly in modern urban environments, are simply not born out by the evidence.
What we lack is a historical picture to put these deaths in context. Not a single study exists on Canadian suicide in the First World War. The same is true of the Second World War, Korea, and our many peacekeeping missions. Veterans of each conflict have been similarly overlooked. Even the statistics we do have are incomplete. Charles Campbell’s death certificate makes no mention of suicide, for instance. The cause of death is listed simply as “gun shot wound.”
Campbell’s case also highlights a major difference between the reporting of soldier suicide today versus the years following the First World War. Of the men and women who have recently taken their lives, the majority were serving members of the military. Campbell, however, killed himself after demobilization. Were he a veteran of Afghanistan, his case would not be recorded. The same is true if he were a reservist.
Despite the difficulties in making sense of the sources, my doctoral research on the impact of the First World War on Canadian men has not been able to escape the question of soldier suicide. Much like today’s media, Canadian veteran suicides were very much in the news in the years after the war. The resulting coverage of these veterans’ deaths provides one window onto the struggles returned men faced after the war.
The following charts illustrate male suicides reported in the Globe and the Toronto Star respectively in the year immediately following the war. They are by no means comprehensive, but they do provide a first glance at the issue. Each chart divides the reported suicides into two categories: total reported male suicides (including veteran status) and reported male suicides by veteran status and by age.
The conclusions are striking. In 1919, nearly 40% of reported suicides involved veterans. Moreover, if only the suicides of men aged 18-39 (those most likely to serve) are considered, then the percentage of reported veteran suicides doubles to nearly 80%. Clearly the suicides being reported in the press were disproportionately soldier suicides...."
http://activehistory.ca/2014/03/soldier-suicide-after-the-great-war-a-first-look/
