War Myths and the Normalization of PTSD and Military Suicide: The Military Suicide Equation

Abstract

Military suicide is an increasing concern for Western militaries. In this article, using a qualitative media analysis, we introduce the military suicide equation as a metanarrative and analytic tool for understanding discourse on military suicides. This metanarrative—overseas service + post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) = suicide—positions military suicide as the consequences of PTSD acquired during overseas military deployment and positions increased military funding as the simplistic solution to what is often described as a military suicide “epidemic.” The military suicide equation operates to both normalize evidence of widespread mental health issues within militaries and sustain support for military institutions and war deployments by directing public attention to the “problem-solution” cycle identified in the equation. We assess the political consequences of this simplistic representation, namely the reproduction of preexisting myths about the “unknowability” of war, civilian responsibilities to “Support the Troops,” and the exceptional nature of military service and combat deployment.