Suicide rate increases among US Army

The U.S. Army saw a small increase in the number of suicides in the first three months of 2015, according to a report released on Friday by the U.S. Defense Department (DOD).

Suicides among soldiers increased 11 percent. Thirty active- duty soldiers committed suicide in the first quarter of 2015, compared to 27 in the comparable time period of 2014.

The Army's National Guard and Air National Guard also counted more suicides in the first quarter of 2015 than the same time period the previous year, said the Quarterly Suicide Report, or QSR, which is intended to communicate DOD's suicide data on a routine basis.

According to QSR, the Army's National Guard saw 20 suicides in the first three months of this year and just 16 the previous year, an increase of 25 percent. Suicides among members of the Air National Guard increased from six to seven.

Despite increases in these two communities, suicide overall among both active duty troops and reservists is down compared to the first quarter of 2014, QSR said.

While 73 active duty troops killed themselves in the first three months of last year, that number is down to 57 for the first quarter of 2015, representing a 22 percent decrease. Among reservists, suicides are down 9 percent to 42 in the first quarter of 2015.