Suicide may kill more U.S. soldiers than combat

According to current epidemiological estimates, at least one in five people has a diagnosable mental disorder during the course of a year (i.e., 1-year prevalence).
1 in 5 is 20%

In the early 1950s, the rates of mental illness estimated by
epidemiologists were far higher than those of today. One study, forexample, found 81.5 percent of the population of Manhattan, New York, to have had signs and symptoms of mental distress (Srole, 1962).

Also,
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter2/sec2_1.html[url=http:...

According to current epidemiological estimates, at least one in five people has a diagnosable mental disorder during the course of a year (i.e., 1-year prevalence).
1 in 5 is 20%

In the early 1950s, the rates of mental illness estimated by
epidemiologists were far higher than those of today. One study, forexample, found 81.5 percent of the population of Manhattan, New York, to have had signs and symptoms of mental distress (Srole, 1962).

Also,
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter2/sec2_1.htmlThe current prevalence estimate is that about 20 percent of the U.S. population are affected by mental disorders during a given year. This estimate comes from two epidemiologic surveys: the Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study of the early 1980s and the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) of the early 1990s. Those surveys defined mental illness according to the prevailing editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (i.e., DSM-III and DSM-IIIR). The surveys estimate that during a 1-year period, 22 to 23 percent of the U.S. adult population—or 44 million people—have diagnosable mental disorders, according to reliable, established criteria.


It seems to me, the numbers regarding mental illness for the military fall in line with the general population outside of the specific disorder. I did not research it , but I seem to remember from past disscussions seeing similarities regarding suicide rates.

Note: I changed the title of the clip in order more accurately to reflect the content of the article. They're not sure of the precise numbers at this point.

@willhelm: it seems to me that the point is not the incidence of mental distress tout court, although I think your comparison to a 20% incidence rate of diagnosable mental disorders among the general population with a 20% incidence rate specifically of PTSD among returning veterans is misleading. One in five Americans may have vague problems like adjustment disorders or generalized anxiety disorder; one in five Americans definitely does not suffer from PTSD. The real point of the article, though, is that returning vets are n...

Note: I changed the title of the clip in order more accurately to reflect the content of the article. They're not sure of the precise numbers at this point.

@willhelm: it seems to me that the point is not the incidence of mental distress tout court, although I think your comparison to a 20% incidence rate of diagnosable mental disorders among the general population with a 20% incidence rate specifically of PTSD among returning veterans is misleading. One in five Americans may have vague problems like adjustment disorders or generalized anxiety disorder; one in five Americans definitely does not suffer from PTSD. The real point of the article, though, is that returning vets are not getting the care they need. My impression is that this has been pretty well documented in other venues as well.