Soldier Suicide

So I happened across this article, and as psychiatry is one of my main interests in the Army, it peaked my interest. Of course all of you have heard LTC Griggs talk about suicides, but this article provides a more cumulative look at what has been happening.
A brief summary is that suicide rates in the military are booming, much faster than civilian rates. Bloomberg report has discovered that current trends (if mental care remains as is) could cause the suicide deaths of Iraq/Afghanistan to exceed the combat death toll.
Overall, I'm not sure if the Army is going in the right direction. They have been setting up virtual buddies, which involve identifying a situation and then making the obvious choice between "notify a health professional" or "ignore the situation."
I think more statistics need to be analyzed on problems of suicidees. Were they unhappy with a relationship, being separated, having problems with the military, or substance abuse. Also it is important to discover whether the military drives people to depression and suicide, or whether depressed and suicidal people are more likely to join the military.
I'll just end with... Cadet Command has lost enough good cadets; watch out for your buddy.

7 Military Tech Winners and Losers Under Gates's Proposed Defense Budget

Popular Mechanics ran a great but brief article on the recent DoD overhaul. I thought it was interesting enough to be shared on the blog. (At least I hope it is)

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4312388.html