Link – Child abuse may play role in military suicides

“Histories of child abuse are common among military members and may be important to consider when treating their mental health needs, according to a report from Canada.

People who join the military are more likely to report being abused as children, and that trauma may be more closely linked to suicide risk than trauma experienced during deployment, researchers suggest.

“It’s not that deployment-related trauma is not significant, but the relationship is less than childhood-related trauma,” said lead author Tracie Afifi, of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.”

This study was related to the military in Canada, and found that the risk of suicide was significantly higher in members of the military who had a history of child abuse, regardless of what type of trauma they may have experienced while in the military.

What this tells us, is that adults dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts may also be survivors of abuse. That means that telling an adult to look around at their current life, and ask what they have to be depressed about, is missing the point in a million different ways. Current mental health issues are very possibly not tied to current events, but to childhood ones. Trying to “be happy” about the current state of affairs is pointless. The problem goes back much further, and deeper than that.

If you’re struggling with depression now, and were abused as a child, get help for both of those things. They are likely related.

Child abuse may play role in military suicides