Factors associated with suicide ideation in US Army soldiers during deployment in Afghanistan

Objective  To examine associations of sociodemographic characteristics, lifetime and past-year stressors, and mental disorders with 30-day SI among a representative sample of US Army soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. Design, Setting, and Participants  In this survey study, soldiers deployed to Afghanistan completed self-administered questionnaires in July 2012. The sample was weighted to represent all 87 032 soldiers serving in […]

Prevalence of perceived stress and mental health indicators among reserve-component and active-duty military personnel.

Objectives. We examined stress levels and other indicators of mental health in reservists and active-duty military personnel by deployment status. Methods. We used data from the Department of Defense Health-Related Behaviors surveys, which collect comprehensive, population-based data for reserve and active-duty forces. Data were collected from 18 342 reservists and 16 146 active-duty personnel. Results. Overall, with […]

Systemic vulnerabilities to suicide among veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts: review of case reports from a National Veterans Affairs database.

While suicide among recently returned veterans is of great concern, it is a relatively rare occurrence within individual hospitals and clinics. Root cause analysis (RCA) generates a detailed case report that can be used to identify system-based vulnerabilities following an adverse event. Review of a national database of RCA reports may identify common vulnerabilities and […]

Suicide incidence and risk factors in an active duty US military population.

Objectives. The goal of this study was to investigate and identify risk factors for suicide among all active duty members of the US military during 2005 or 2007. Methods. The study used a cross-sectional design and included the entire active duty military population. Study sample sizes were 2 064 183 for 2005 and 1 981 […]

Suicidal performances: Voicing discontent in a girl’s dormitory in Kabul.

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Military veteran mortality following a survived suicide attempt.

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Driven to a Fiery Death – the Tragedy of Self-Immolation in Afghanistan

This article discusses self-immolation among Afghan girls & women. Although reliable data are not available, there are indications self-immolation is occurring at a notable & steady rate. Reviews of this practice indicate forced & child marriages as well as violence perpetrated by husbands, in-laws, & husbands’ other wives are common precursors of self-immolation. In one […]

A Population-Based Assessment of Women’s Mental Health and Attitudes Towards Women’s Human Rights in Afghanistan

The authors sought to assess the health status of Afghan women & attitudes of these women & their male relatives during the period of Taliban rule toward women’s rights & community development needs. Among their findings, the authors report that 65% of women living in a Taliban-controlled area & 73% of women in Pakistan exposed […]

The Psychiatric Effects of war Stress on Afghanistan Society (IN: International Handbook of Traumatic Stress Syndromes, edited by J P Wilson & B Raphael)

Suicide in Afghanistan

A study carried out in Afghanistan evaluating suicide during 1955-1964 leads to the following conclusion: a) with a suicidal rate of 0.25 cases per 100,000 pop/year, Afghanistan proves to be the country with the lowest ratio thus far reported in the world, b) This variation in incidence & form of suicide greatly depends upon cultural […]

Symptomatology of Depressive Illness in Afghanistan

In a cross cultural study of depressive symptoms in Afghan patients, the incidence of such biological symptoms as depressed mood and loss of appetite, sleep, and libido were similar to the reported incidence of these symptoms in depressed patients from a Western culture. Some symptoms that may be affected by cultural differences were also comparable, […]