Army Introduces New Measures to Stem Suicides

Officials to hire more therapists, boost drug and health screening
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 24, 2009 6:24 AM CDT
Army Introduces New Measures to Stem Suicides
A soldier squeezes through a metal door with the help of a comrade and an Iraqi policeman during a joint search operation in Mosul, Iraq.   (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo)

The army has begun a new effort to stem the rising toll of soldier suicides, hiring more mental health workers and instituting new rules for drug testing and health screening, reports AP. The number of suicides in the first three months of 2009 reached 56—after a record 140 last year. The armed forces have partly blamed the rising number of suicides on strains from multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
(More suicide stories.)

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