Army soldier stress

Just two weeks after the mass homicide at Ft Hood, the U.S. Army said Tuesday that suicide is a growing problem among both active duty forces and reservists.

Over 200 active and reserve soldiers are believed to have taken their own lives so far this year.

It could be far more than all the American forces killed in combat in Afghanistan last year.

140 active duty U.S. Army suicides so far in 2009.

Last year the toll was 143.

This year could see 160, if the trend continues.

Army Vice Chief of Staff, General Peter Chiarelli said "Each case represents an individual, a person, with family and friends and future ahead of him or her."

Why is suicide on the rise?

The Army admits combat stress is increasing in Afghanistan.

Repeated deployments are more common and the time back home is being reduced.

The Army knows soldiers need more mental health providers.

"We find that when the providers are embedded with units and they have a more comfortable relationship and the soldiers know the provider, that really reduces their stigma about seeking help." said Lieutenant Colonel Sharon McBride, senior research psychologist.

But the Army can't find enough counselors.

Army psychiatrist Nadil Malik Hasan was headed to Afghanistan as a counselor, when he went on his rampage at Ft Hood.

The high profile investigations of the 13 murders will focus on Hasan's mental health

But it also seems sure to shed light on why hundreds of U.S. Army soldiers are taking their own lives.