More service member hospital stays are linked to mental health disorders than any other condition: DoD.

The Defense Department health report indicates that mental health disorders have become the most common reason for hospitalizations in the military.

Over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023, the Defense Health Agency reported a 40% increase in diagnoses of mental health disorders. Specifically, anxiety disorders and PTSD both doubled during this time period.

In 2023, hospital bed stays for active-duty service members with mental health disorders exceeded every other illness combined.

According to a report, between 2019 and 2023, 541,672 active-duty service members across all branches were diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder. Of those, approximately 47% were diagnosed with more than one mental health disorder. In 2023, there were 1.3 million U.S. active duty troops.

The report, which is disheartening, comes after the New Year's Day vehicle attack in New Orleans that resulted in the deaths of 14 individuals. It was discovered that the perpetrator, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had served in the Army and had multiple deployments.

In Las Vegas, on the same day, Col. Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army Green Berets, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while sitting in a Cybertruck filled with explosives.

To maintain force readiness, it is crucial to prioritize help-seeking behaviors for mental health disorders among service members who have experienced increased rates of such disorders after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pentagon was unable to provide a comment on the increase in diagnoses and whether U.S. troops are mentally prepared for combat.

Those in the Army and the younger female service members were more likely to receive a diagnosis.

All branches of the military had higher rates of depressive, bipolar, and personality disorders than the Navy.

Female active duty service members were diagnosed with PTSD at a higher rate than their male counterparts.

The Defense Medical Surveillance System and Theater Medical Data Store were used to obtain medical data, which analyzed ambulance encounters, hospitalization or outpatient visits to a psychiatric facility, and other factors to define a mental health diagnosis.

The number of military suicides increased last year, despite the Pentagon's efforts to address the issue.

In 2023, the number of reported suicides increased to 523 from 493 in 2022, representing a 9% increase. Additionally, the number of active-duty troops who died by suicide rose to 363 from 331 in the previous year, representing a 12% increase.

According to the Defense Department (DOD), more service members die from suicide than from any other cause, including training accidents, illnesses, homicides, or combat. Additionally, the suicide rate per 100,000 increased last year.

Suicide deaths by active-duty service members have been on the rise since 2011.

The data shows that 67% of suicide victims had a primary care encounter in the 90 days before their death, 34% had been to an outpatient mental health center, 8% had been discharged from an in-patient mental health facility, and 18% were on psychotropic medication at the time of their death.

Military suicide victims experienced intimate relationship problems and behavioral health diagnoses at a high rate within a year prior to their death.