According to a recent Army report, 117 soldiers committed suicide in 2007, the highest number in more than 25 years." The Army "is aware of the problem it faces," and "is funding a $50 million epidemiological study of soldier suicide.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will conduct the study in partnership with the Army and a selected group of outside investigators. The project, which researchers say is unprecedented in size and scope, will examine the frequency and distribution of suicides across various Army subgroups, and scrutinize the Army's extensive health and personnel files to identify risk factors and treatments, said Robert Heinssen, a senior researcher at NIMH who helped draft the memorandum of agreement with the Army."

Returning Indiana guard soldiers undergo mental-health counseling. The AP (12/8) reports that hyperarousal, "the taut readiness that comes from being on guard against attacks...can be an obstacle" for returning soldiers "in adapting to civilian life." For that reason, the newly returned "3,300 men and women of the Indiana National Guard's 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team" must undergo "about four days of debriefing at Camp Atterbury before heading home." During the debriefing, "the soldiers talk to mental-health counselors."

In addition, "the Guard plans three weekend-long seminars to help soldiers resume their lives. Among the topics covered are anger management, suicide prevention, compulsive behavior prevention, and safe driving." While "attendance is mandatory for the soldiers," family members are also "urged to attend two of the events." The AP points out that, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, "between 12...and 20 percent of the 1.6 million US troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder."