Recently, the Department of Defense confirmed that 2012 witnessed a sharp increase in suicides committed by active duty Servicemembers.  This only serves to highlight the need for an increase in mental health providers throughout the military.  NASW has emphasized this need on behalf of the social work profession, as have many schools of social work who have developed programs specific to this field of practice.

Independent studies show that encouraging Servicemembers to seek help can help reduce military suicides.  But help can only be sought if there are care providers available to assist.  More uniformed scoial workers, and social workers trained to provide services to this population, would be one important step toward alleviating this problem.