Eighteen members of Canadian military took their own lives in 2015
Posted Nov 23, 2016 10:05:27 AM.
Last Updated Nov 23, 2016 12:45:23 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – The Canadian military says 18 service members died by suicide last year.
The findings are contained in a report published today by the surgeon general of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The report says many of the 18 had sought some type of mental-health treatment shortly before taking their own lives.
It also concludes that army members were more likely to kill themselves than members of the general population, as well as fellow service members in the navy and air force.
The report finds that the likelihood of a Canadian Forces member taking his or her own life was even higher if the person had been deployed on a mission overseas.
The military has been struggling with how to deal with mental-health injuries among its soldiers, with attempts to increase services and ease the transition to civilian life introduced in recent years.
