Links between suicide, peacekeeping duty probed CMAJ 1997;156:629 © 1997 Canadian Medical Association Peacekeeping experience by itself does not appear to increase the overall rate of suicide in the Canadian military, a study commissioned by the Department of National Defence (DND) has determined. However, a team of researchers led by Dr. Isaac Sakinofsky, head of the High Risk Consultation Clinic at Toronto's Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, concluded that the demands of being a soldier exert unique stresses that may contribute to psychiatric illness and suicide in individual cases. The Canadian forces, which currently has about 60 000 members, reported 66 suicides between January 1990 and July 1995; one-third of victims had peacekeeping experience. The Clarke Connection newsletter recently reported that of cases in which psychiatric disorders could be established, most peacekeepers who committed suicide had depression (41%) or adjustment disorder (55%), while 38% had alcohol and/or drug-abuse problems; only 2 showed evidence of post-traumatic-stress syndrome related to peacekeeping duty. Researchers found that most victims had chronic or acute problems with relationships or legal, financial, medical or work-related issues, or were dissatisfied with military life. As a result of the report, DND has decided that peacekeepers will now have at least 1 year at home between peacekeeping missions, which usually last 6 months. They will also get more stress counselling and have access to more support services. Send a letter to the editor responding to this article Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cet article | CMAJ March 1, 1997 (vol 156, no 5) / JAMC le 1er mars 1997 (vol 156, no 5) | / >