US Sending Mentally Unstable Troops into Battle

[Kire]

Mentally Unfit, Forced To Fight
May 14, 2006
By LISA CHEDEKEL And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN, The Hartford Courant

Despite a congressional order that the military assess the mental health of all deploying troops, fewer than 1 in 300 service members see a mental health professional before shipping out.

Once at war, some unstable troops are kept on the front lines while on potent antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, with little or no counseling or medical monitoring.

And some troops who developed post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq are being sent back to the war zone, increasing the risk to their mental health.

These practices, which have received little public scrutiny and in some cases violate the military's own policies, have helped to fuel an increase in the suicide rate among troops serving in Iraq, which reached an all-time high in 2005 when 22 soldiers killed themselves - accounting for nearly one in five of all Army non-combat deaths.

More: http://www.courant.com/news/specials/hc-mental1a.artmay14,0,6150281.story

[Random_Australian]

1. This is unwelcome but expected news.

x(. These are people's family.

But hey, if you get enough meds, you might just serve your tour of duty. What happens after that? "Well, if you won't provide for your own health then we are not going to just step in and save you" probably. Bastards. :grr:

[Lilith Velkor]

2. What happens after that?

One of these guys will be Timothy McVeigh II.0 :nuke:

Then it will be martial law :party:

[Random_Australian]

4. They restict education and materials now enough so that they will

go on a shooting rampage instead.

Actually, if you got a sapper unsettled, that would do it.... hmmmmmmm....

[Lilith Velkor]

5. *googling "sapper"*

Yeah, that's pretty much what happened in Oklahoma City.

Let's think happy thoughts now! :bounce:

[Random_Australian]

6. Yup. Although more would be killed by ex-soldiers going nuts

while loose gun laws abound when you add up all of them, but a sapper would do a large chunk all in one hit.

Happy thoughts..... :bounce:

[NMMNG]

3. The military probably likes it that way

Soldiers who kill themselves are guaranteed not to need veterans benefits, and before they off themselves they might just take a few extra brown-skinned people with them. :sarcasm:

[Kire]

7. Recruiter advises man to stop taking meds before boot camp.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1232745

[mopinko]

8. this is the kind of thing that is upsetting the generals

jack murtha will tell anyone who will listen that the army is badly broken. this is just the kind of thing that is bothering them. taking the lowest category of recruits, which they swore after viet nam that they would never do.
there was a story going around, shortly after the invasion, about better mental health care for soldiers, front line shrinks, and passing out meds and all, and i thought, uh-oh.