Mental health disorders attributed to more service member hospital stays than any other ailment: Department of Defense

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

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

In 2023, active duty service members Experiencing a mental health disorder accounted for 54.8% of hospital bed stays, more than all other afflictions combined.

From 2019 to 2023, 541,672 on active duty Service members in 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 US troops on active duty.

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

That same day in Las Vegas, Col. 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 higher rates of mental health disorders following the COVID-19 pandemic, help-seeking behaviors must be prioritized to address psychological and emotional well-being to maintain force readiness” , reads the report.

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

Military women, the youngest and those in 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 post-traumatic stress disorder twice as often as their male counterparts.

Medical data came from records accessed through the Defense Medical Surveillance System and the Theater Medical Data Warehouse. It looked at ambulance encounters, hospitalizations or outpatient visits to a psychiatric facility, and other factors to define a mental health diagnosis.

Meanwhile, military suicides rose again last year, continuing a dark trend. the pentagon has fought to fight.

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Overall, 523 suicides were reported in 2023, the most recent data available, up from 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty troops who died by suicide rose to 363 from 331 the previous year, a 12% increase.

Suicide is by far the leading cause of death among service members, causing more deaths than training accidents, illness, homicide or combat, according to the Department of Defense (DOD). In addition to the large number, last year the suicide rate per 100,000 people also increased.

Suicide deaths on active duty service members have been increasing since 2011.

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Another worrying sign from the data is how many suicide victims sought help: 67% had an encounter with primary care in the 90 days before their death; 34% had been in 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.

One year before their death, 44% of military suicide victims reported problems in intimate relationships and 42% reported a behavioral health diagnosis.