MOD Figures Show Women In Military More Likely Than Men To Self-Harm

Picture courtesy of the Ministry of Defence.

Women in the Armed Forces are almost twice as likely to self-harm as their male counterparts, figures from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) have revealed.

According to the data, 5.4 females per 1,000 record deliberate self-harm (DSH) events, compared to 2.9 males.

While under-20s are the most likely age group with 12.5 incidents per 1,000, a real-world equivalent of 98 people in 2017-18.

The next highest rate was 6.1 for 20 to 24-year-olds, followed by 3.0 for 25-29 year-olds.

Untrained service personnel were twice as likely as their trained counterparts to self-harm, with 5.9 incidents per 1,000 compared to three for trained personnel.

However, overall rates among UK Armed Forces personnel remains low, equating to 0.3% of UK military personnel.

The rate has risen by one person per 1,000 since 2010/11.

A number of "high risk" groups can be identified from the data including females, untrained personnel and those in the Army.

The figures also showed the Army had the highest rate of DSH across all three UK Forces.

In 2017/18 the Army had a rate of 4.0 per 1,000 people, compared to 2.2 for the Navy and 1.5 for the RAF.

The Army has consistently had the highest rate of DSH episodes since 2010/11.

The MOD said: "We have increased spending on mental health to £22 million a year, and have set up a 24/7 mental health helpline so there is always somewhere to turn in times of crisis.

"This finding is also in line with literature available on the general population where females are more likely to present with mental health problems compared to males.

"It is suggested this is because females are likely to have more interactions with health professionals than males.

The MOD acknowledged there were "known difficulties" in accurately recording episodes of DSH due to the "associated stigma".

However, over the last few years, in line with the increase in recorded episodes, they have stepped up their mental health services.

Combat Stress, a veterans' mental health charity, began operating a helpline on behalf of the MOD in February 2018.