Local Editor
In a desperate move, the US army has awarded a scientist at the Indiana University School of Medicine $3 million to develop a nasal spray that eclipses suicidal thoughts.
Dr. Michael Kubek and his research team will have three years to ascertain whether the nasal spray is a safe and effective method of preventing suicides.
This comes after the Army lost 38 of its soldiers to suspected suicide in July, setting a record high. So far in 2012, the Army has confirmed 66 active duty suicides and is investigating 50 more, making a total of 116 cases.
The Army's suicide rate is at the highest level in history, with more American soldiers taking their own lives than being killed in battle. The Pentagon reported in June that suicides among soldiers averaged one per day this year, surpassing the rate of combat fatalities.
The naturally occurring neurochemical thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is known to slow the rising suicide rate because it has a euphoric, calming, antidepressant effect.
According to Kubek, the bottom-line problem is figuring out how to get it into the brain."
So far, doctors have only been able to transmit TRH through injections into the spinal cord. But with new technology, Kubek's team of research scientists has found the nasal cavity can safely carry TRH across the blood-brain barrier.
If the nasal spray is proven effective, soldiers in crisis or those taking other antidepressants would also be given TRH.
While the suicide rate is increasing in the military, it is also an increasing concern in the US civilian population.
Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years. Every day, more than 100 Americans take their own life.
Source: RT, edited by moqawama.org
In a desperate move, the US army has awarded a scientist at the Indiana University School of Medicine $3 million to develop a nasal spray that eclipses suicidal thoughts.
Dr. Michael Kubek and his research team will have three years to ascertain whether the nasal spray is a safe and effective method of preventing suicides.
This comes after the Army lost 38 of its soldiers to suspected suicide in July, setting a record high. So far in 2012, the Army has confirmed 66 active duty suicides and is investigating 50 more, making a total of 116 cases.
The Army's suicide rate is at the highest level in history, with more American soldiers taking their own lives than being killed in battle. The Pentagon reported in June that suicides among soldiers averaged one per day this year, surpassing the rate of combat fatalities.
The naturally occurring neurochemical thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is known to slow the rising suicide rate because it has a euphoric, calming, antidepressant effect.
According to Kubek, the bottom-line problem is figuring out how to get it into the brain."
So far, doctors have only been able to transmit TRH through injections into the spinal cord. But with new technology, Kubek's team of research scientists has found the nasal cavity can safely carry TRH across the blood-brain barrier.
If the nasal spray is proven effective, soldiers in crisis or those taking other antidepressants would also be given TRH.
While the suicide rate is increasing in the military, it is also an increasing concern in the US civilian population.
Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 18 and 65 years. Every day, more than 100 Americans take their own life.
Source: RT, edited by moqawama.org
