GIs' suicide rate to hit record high

Suicide rate among the US soldiers is on the rise surpassing last year's all-time-high record, army officials say urging prevention efforts.

Ninety-three active-duty soldiers had killed themselves through the end of August, the latest data show. A third of those cases are under investigation by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner's Office, Washington Post reported.

That means that the number for 2008 could eclipse the 115 of last year - and the rate per 100,000 could surpass that of the civilian population, Col. Eddie Stephens, deputy director of human resources policy, said at a Pentagon press conference on Thursday.

"Army leaders are fully aware that repeated deployments have led to increased distress and anxiety for both soldiers and their families," Army Secretary Pete Geren said.

"The Army is committed to ensuring that all soldiers and their families receive the behavioral health care they need," he said in a statement distributed at the press conference.

To try to stem the continuing high number of suicides, the Army continues to increase the number of staff psychiatrists and other mental health staff. It is also issuing a new interactive video for troops and will be adding a new program to basic training starting in January, said Brig. Gen. Rhonda L. Cornum, an assistant Army surgeon general.

Among other things, Army officials say, failed relationships, legal and financial troubles, and the high stress of wartime operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are the leading factors linked to the suicides.

But the main reason remains to be the fact that the US troops are overstretched in two wars, say Army officials.