A disturbing report that military suicides will hit a new high this year, coming on the heels of the Fort Hood rampage and at a time when up to 40,000 more troops may soon be on their way to Afghanistan, heightens concerns about mental health in the armed forces.

"This is horrible, and I do not want to downplay the significance of these numbers in any way," Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff, told a Pentagon briefing this week.

The picture is indeed bleak, leaving officials with more questions than answers. Consider:

• So far this year 140 soldiers on active duty were suspected to have committed suicide - the same number for all of 2008, which itself was a record year. With more than a month to go this year, there's little doubt 2009's total will set another depressing mark.

• Another 71 soldiers committed suicide after being taken off active duty in 2009 - nearly 25 percent more than the total for 2008.

• Marine Corps suicides are higher again this year, with 42 reported as of Oct. 31 compared to 42 for all of 2008.

• The Navy reported a "slight increase" in suicides, which numbered 41 in 2008, but exact figures weren't available.

• Air Force totals also weren't available, but that service did report an increase in the rate of suicides, from 9.7 per 100,000 to an all-time high of 12.3 per 100,000.

• Since 2004 the military's suicide rate among active-duty soldiers has doubled to about 20 per 100,000, compared to a national rate of 11.1 suicides per 100,000 people.

It would be inaccurate to focus the blame on combat stress or inadequate counseling, since about a third of the soldiers who took their own lives had never been deployed overseas, and 40 percent had seen or were being treated by a behavior specialist.

Still, with 1.1 million active-duty and reserve soldiers, the Army is the largest military branch and has seen the most combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To its credit, the Army is attempting to tackle the suicide problem by refining the questionnaire it uses to screen incoming soldiers for psychological problems, and by trying to rein in a rising trend in substance abuse, which is often related to mental health problems and suicide.

The Army also has launched a pilot program to have all soldiers returning from one overseas battalion undergo an immediate half-hour evaluation by mental health providers. Making such evaluations mandatory could remove the stigma some feel comes with seeking therapy.

Military leaders must also work harder to overcome the perception that seeking mental health counseling can inhibit the ability of a soldier to rise through the ranks. The Pentagon insists that is not true, but it has to do a better job of convincing the rank and file.

All the branch services are making worthwhile attempts to solve this serious problem. Just as suicide has many causes, there must be more than one solution.

The military must redouble its effort to prevent these losses.