According to a new Defense Department health statement, mental health conditions are on the increase in the military, currently causing more illnesses than any other condition. Symptoms of mental health disorders are up 40 % over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023, according to a Defense Health Agency record. It found that anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) doubled over the five-year period. In 2023, active-duty service people experiencing a mental health disorder made up 54.8 % of hospital bed remains, more than every other injury combined. From 2019 through 2023, 541, 672 active-dutyservice people across all departments were identified with at least one mental health disorder, according to the document. More than one mental health disorder was identified in about 47 % of those cases. In 2023, there were 1.3 million U. S. effective work forces. The disturbing report follows the New Year’s Day car strike in New Orleans that killed 14 people, revealing that the think, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran with many operations. That same day in Las Vegas, Col. Matthew Livelsberger, an active member of the Army Green Berets, shot himself in the head in a Cybertruck full of explosives. PRESIDENT BIDEN AWARDS MEDAL OF HONOR TO SEVEN ARMY VETERANS” As service members continue to have higher rates of mental health disorders after the COVID-19 pandemic, help-seeking behaviors to address psychological as well as emotional well-being should be prioritized to maintain force readiness,” the report read. The Pentagon could not be reached for comment on why the diagnoses are rising and whether U.S. forces are mentally prepared to engage in combat if necessary. Female service members, those who are younger and those in the Army, were most likely to be diagnosed. The Navy led all other branches in depressive disorders, bipolar disorders and personality disorders. During active duty, female service members received PTSD twice as frequently as their male counterparts. The Defense Medical Surveillance System and the Theater Medical Data Store accessed the medical records. It analyzed ambulance encounters, hospitalization or outpatient visits to a psychiatric facility, and other factors to define a mental health diagnosis. Meanwhile, military suicides ticked up again last year, following a dark trend the Pentagon has struggled to combat. HERE’S HOW MANY US SERVICE MEMBERS ARE SPENDING THE HOLIDAYS AWAY FROM HOME DEPLOYED OVERSEASOverall, there were 523 reported suicides in 2023, the most recent data available, up from 493 in 2022. The number of active-duty troops who died by suicide increased to 363 from 331 the previous year, up 12 %. Suicide is by far the biggest killer of service members, killing more than training accidents, illnesses, homicides or combat, according to the Defense Department ( DOD ). In addition to the sheer number, the rate of suicides per 100, 000 also went up last year. Since 2011, there have been more suicide deaths by active-duty service members. Another alarming finding in the data is how many suicide victims sought help: 34 % had been treated at an outpatient mental health facility, 8 % had been discharged from an inpatient mental health facility, and 18 % had been taking psychotropic medications at the time of their death. Within a year prior to their death, 44 % of military suicide victims reported intimate relationship problems, and 42 % reported a behavioral health diagnosis.