Mental health disorders attributed to more hospital stays for service members than any other illness: DoD

Mental health disorders are on the rise in the military, now accounting for more hospitalizations than any other illness, according to a new Department of Defense health report.

Diagnoses of mental health disorders have increased by 40% over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023, according to a report by the Defense Health Agency. It found that anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doubled over the five-year period.

In 2023, in active service service members experiencing a mental health disorder accounted for 54.8% of hospital bed stays, more than any other condition combined.

From 2019 to 2023, 541,672 in active service Service members of all branches were 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 active duty US troops.

The troubling report follows the New Year’s Day vehicle attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people, revealing that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran with multiple deployments.

That same day in Las Vegas, Colonel Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army Green Berets, shot himself in the head in a Cybertruck packed with explosives.

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“As service members continue to experience increased rates of mental health disorders following the COVID-19 pandemic, help-seeking behaviors should be prioritized to address psychological and emotional well-being to maintain force readiness,” the report said.

The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment on what is behind the increase in diagnoses and whether US forces are mentally prepared to go into combat if necessary.

Female service members, younger and older the Armywere more likely to be diagnosed.

The Navy led all other branches in depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and personality disorders.

Active duty women were diagnosed with PTSD twice as often as their male counterparts.

The medical data came from records accessed through the Defense Medical Surveillance System and the theater medical data store. Ambulance encounters, hospitalization or outpatient visits to a psychiatric facility, and other factors were analyzed to define a mental health diagnosis.

Meanwhile, military suicides rose again last year, following a dark trend the pentagon has struggled to combat.

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In all, there were 523 reported suicides in 2023, the most recent data available, compared to 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty soldiers who took their own lives rose to 363 from 331 the previous year, 12%.

Suicide is by far the biggest killer of service members, killing more than training accidents, disease, homicide or combat, according to the Department of Defense (DOD). In addition to the large number, the rate of suicides per 100,000 also increased last year.

Deaths by suicide on active duty service members have been increasing since 2011.

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Another troubling sign in the data is how many suicide victims sought help: 67% had a primary care encounter in the 90 days before their death; 34% had been to an outpatient mental health facility; 8% had been discharged from an inpatient mental health facility; and 18% were taking psychotropic medication at the time of their death.

In the year before their death, 44% of military suicide victims reported intimate relationship problems and 42% reported a behavioral health diagnosis.