The majority of suicide attempts by members of the military occur before they are ever deployed or see combat,
according to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association's JAMA Psychiatry.
In fact, the time when the risk is highest is two months after beginning military service, when basic training has been completed. The study suggests that times of transition may actually be the main factor in suicide attempts rather than the strain of combat or long deployments.
"They are transitioning out of training and into regular service," Dr. Robert Ursano of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
told NBC News.
Ursano led the study that looked at 163,000 members of the Army and found 61 percent who attempted suicide had not been deployed.
A study from 2015 showed that suicides also had no direct correlation to deployment.
Ursano said there are psychological differences in people when they are thinking about suicide (suicidal ideation), attempting suicide, or those who die by suicide.
"Each of those has its own individual set of predictors and, perhaps, biological underpinnings," Ursano told NBC.
"The idea that transitions are stressful is well-documented," he added. "You're more vulnerable not only to mental illness, but to physical illness. You are more likely to get colds. You are more likely to get infections."
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