Mental health disorders accounted for more servicemembers’ hospital stays 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, active service members experiencing mental health disorders accounted for 54.8% of hospital beds, more than all other complaints combined.

From 2019 to 2023, 541,672 active service members in all branches have been diagnosed with at least one mental health disorderthe report states. About 47% of them had more than one mental health disorder. In 2023, there were 1.3 million US active duty soldiers.

The sobering report follows the New Year’s Eve car bombing in New Orleans that killed 14 people, revealing that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a military veteran with multiple deployments.

That same day in Las Vegas, Colonel Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army’s Green Berets, shot himself in the head in a Cybertruck full of 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 to address psychological as well as emotional well-being should be prioritized to maintain force readiness,” the report said.

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

Female soldiers, the younger ones and the older ones armythey were most likely diagnosed.

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

Female active duty service members are diagnosed with PTSD twice as often as their male counterparts.

The medical data originates from records accessed through the Defense Medical Surveillance System and the Theater Medical Data Repository. It analyzed ambulance encounters, hospitalization or outpatient psychiatric facility visits, and other factors to define a mental health diagnosis.

Meanwhile, the number of military suicides rose again last year, following a grim trend Pentagon fought for the fight.

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There were a total of 523 reported suicides in 2023, according to the most recent data available, compared to 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty soldiers who died by suicide increased to 363 from 331 the previous year, a 12% increase.

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

Active duty suicide deaths 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 a primary health care encounter in the 90 days before death; 34% were in an outpatient mental health center; 8% were discharged from an inpatient mental health facility; and 18% were on psychotropic medication at the time of death.

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