Serving members of the armed forces are now killing themselves at a rate of more than one every fortnight. In 2011, 13 suicides were recorded but by 2019 there were 27, data from the Office for National Statistics shows. The Ministry of Defence maintains suicides amongst serving personnel are lower than the national average. A spokesman said: “We take the mental health of our personnel extremely seriously and encourage anyone who is struggling to come forward and access the wide range of support available. “This includes a 24-hour helpline, resilience training before deployment and, from next year, mandatory mental health training for all.”

Source: Daily Mirror December 19, 2020 22:50 UTC