Defense Ministry discusses organization of psychological services in  the army

ArmInfo. A regular meeting was held at the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, chaired by  Defense Minister Suren Papikyan.  According to the Ministry's press  service, participants discussed issues related to organizing the work  of psychological services within the Armenian Armed Forces.

Recall, during a recent briefing,  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  cited data from investigative authorities, stating that one of the  primary causes of suicides in the army is the psychological pressure  exerted on a soldier after falling asleep while on combat duty.

He noted that, as a rule, after falling asleep on duty, a soldier  faces a difficult psychological environment because fellow servicemen  begin to ostracize them. The reason, according to the Prime Minister,  is that such behavior compromises the safety of the entire unit.

Isolated and subjected to psychological pressure, servicemen  sometimes commit suicide. Other contributing factors include gambling  debts and family issues. The Prime Minister emphasized that 85% to  90% of suicide cases in the army are linked to these three main  causes.

It is worth noting that, according to research by the Vanadzor Office  of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, 30 service-member deaths were  recorded in the Armenian Armed Forces during the first seven months  of 2026. The organization stated that 11 of these 30 cases were  officially classified as service-related, while 19 were classified as  non-service-related.