Mental Illness In The Military On The Rise

Troops Returning From Iraq And Afghanistan Tours With Post-Traumatic Stress

(CBS)  Mental health disorders are snowballing as more and more soldiers and Marines are sent back for repeat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

According to the Pentagon's latest mental health survey, 31 percent of Marines, 38 percent of soldiers and 49 percent of the National Guard reported psychological symptoms such as anger, depression or alcohol abuse after returning home. As the director of the survey said, combat stress is not something you just get over.

"It may manifest and change their lives forever. These are men and women who have undergone experiences that are unlike anything else in humankind," Vice Adm. Donald Arthur said.

For wounded soldiers like Staff Sgt. Daniel Shannon, post-traumatic stress disorder adds insult to their injuries.

"I started smashing furniture, very rapidly; so fast I didn't know what I was doing 'til it happened. I'd get mad so fast, so angry, and just lash out," Shannon said.

Shannon is at least willing to talk about it.

The survey says the stigma attached to mental illness in the military "remains pervasive and often prevents service members from seeking needed care."

The stigma is one barrier to treatment. Another is that the military doesn't have enough mental health professionals — not even for peacetime, much less war.

According to the survey, there have been "dramatic decreases in the number of military health professionals" since the war started.

And perhaps the most damning finding: The Pentagon "currently lacks both funding and personnel to adequately support the psychological health of service members and their families."

"We concentrate a great deal on physical health; that is, how fast can you run a mile, how many sit-ups and push-ups can you do. But we don't often concentrate on the psychological health of the service member," Arthur said.

The Army now has about 500 health professionals and plans to hire another 100. But there are about 1 million men and women who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

[feelfree1]

Yet another victory in the Bush regime war on sanity.

[feelfree1]

Re: "The Army now has about 500 health professionals and plans to hire another 100. But there are about 1 million men and women who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan."

What a sick joke!

No one should be surprised if some of these abused veterans decide to vent their anger on some of the people who pointlessly misused and abandoned them.

[shanev137]

Way to go Bush. Nice job in *** up our troops.

[frb01]

These veterans need and should get all the help they need. This is just one more example of the inept handling of mental illness in this country.

[grazinggoat]

Has anyone seen somebody, more somebody you know, you talked to, you enjoyed his (her) company, letting his (her) blood, losing his-her life, letting the soul go, dying in front of you?

It is terrible! I have already witnessed animals die in labs. I guess it must be traumatic to see a person. I guess it must be sickening... especially when it's for a false cause based on lies...

[patriotic9]

How many more Million innocent people need to loose their lives and how many more US Troops need to loose their mind for the 2nd Coming of Christ?

[harp1963]

This war is a complete national disgrace.
It sickens me that so many decent young men and women have had to endure so much for an oil war.

Here's a heart wrenching story about one such young man:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07073/769125-51.stm

[johnshaft4]

Starts with the alleged "Commander in C[T]hief".
"...A fish rots from the head down."
Some "war time' president...

[harp1963]

How many more Million innocent people need to loose their lives and how many more US Troops need to loose their mind for the 2nd Coming of Christ?
Posted by patriotic9 at 08:37 PM : Jun 15, 2007

You know, a lot of people might not get your post, but I've often wondered, since George Bush has pandered to the Bob Jones University crowd by speaking there so many times, if he wasn't one of these psychotic far right "end of the world" rapture psychos who actually thinks he is some pre-cursor to the second coming of Christ.

[donnie900]

The only time I thought I was special! Was when I was Christ.

The only time I ever mattered! Was when I was Christ.

The only time I made a difference! Was when I was Christ.

[shanev137]

you're right Harp.....devout Bush supporters think The Rapture is the best exit strategy for Iraq.

[pastdue1]

The mentally ill have always caused the wars and the wars have always created mental illness in those who fought the wars. The VA funding for all veterans has been cut dramatically during the current administration. It is not only the mental health professionals who are needed. Many veterans need career counseling and help, both financial and educationally, in reentering society. This administration has already decided who is expendible and what part of our society is "throw away."

[ubrew12]

from the Article: "According to the Pentagon's latest mental health survey...Marines... soldiers and... National Guard reported psychological symptoms such as anger, depression or alcohol abuse after returning home"

Wait 'till they find out who's paying for the Iraq War. Symptoms should double.

[slipster01]

Most people don't get the true meat of the story.

"reported psychological symptoms such as anger, depression or alcohol abuse after returning home"

Key point. AFTER they get home, and see the *** printed about the military in the news, and the impression the big media are giving the 'folks back home' of the military. THAT's when their problems like anger, depression, etc., kick in.

[donnie900]

"The mentally ill have always caused the wars and the wars have always created mental illness in those who fought the wars. The VA funding for all veterans has been cut dramatically during the current administration. It is not only the mental health professionals who are needed. Many veterans need career counseling and help, both financial and educationally, in reentering society. This administration has already decided who is expendible and what part of our society is "throw away.""

But why ain't we just like them? Huh? Why can't we die for something too? Why is it only terrorists .. who got something to die for?

[hmmagain]

' ... If there's 10 billion folk each w/ 317 new songs & dances a day, why can't i find the 100,000 s&ds nearest me?
if there's a tiny percentage of the world dancing get sick soon tax the world first strike on the trail songs on all the front pages, how are the get well soon feed the world first aid on the trail folk making their ends meet? if food & medicine volunteers are feeding the world by making everyone pay for lunch, are they really feeding the world, or just starving it in the names of peace & prosperity? (there's more food thrown away each day than is needed to feed the world)? if we closed vietnam & opened dare in the school houses, have we considered nuking the scools as we considered in vietnam? & why wage war against foreign drug lords in local schools, isn't that like spanking washington by roasting fish at the beach? if kid age five & less absorb 99 plus percent of all spankings, & that figure only comes more close to 100% during wartime (as children are more likely to die in war than are soldiers), then shouldn't we forgive those who wage wars instead of killing kids to punish them? ... '

[john0211]

Bush is Americas first psychopathic, megalomaniac president. Like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, and others. They are always full of delusional thoughts. Like talking to GOD before making decisions.

Funny thing is. GOD always tells them what they want to hear. Even if it%u2019s obviously wrong.

It had to happen sooner, or later. Thank goodness for term limits.

[winnerindia]

offcourse, soldiers are also humans and if they are bound to live under fire, bullets and blood for a long time, they would mentally ***.

[johnshaft4]

"God TOLD me to smite Saddam Hussein, so I smote him". GWB

[fascistusa]

You have to be mentally ill to be in Lord Bush's Military.

If you weren't mentally ill before, they'll make you mentally ill.

Just get doses of US Military Government Propaganda to complement the Brainwashing we've been fed by TV all our lives.

[donnie900]

I'm the better terrorist. I die lonesome and by myself. Of old age.

[jonesforch]

Retired miltary here believe in America. Can smile and easily see another MASH citcom coming.

[bobgee_1999]

SlipSter01:

And you are missing the obvious cause. When you train somebody to kill other human beings, after telling them all their lives it was wrong, a sin, and a crime, you get mixed signals. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome isn't anything new; vets from the world wars suffered from it too. Then they called it "battle fatigue" or "shell shock" but it wasn't widely reported, until Audie Murphy---actor and most highly decorated soldier in WW2---cracked up, became a junkie, and threatened to blow his wife's head off after suffering from depression, anxiety attacks and insomnia. It had nothing to do with stigma or what they wrote in the newspapers. Audie Murphy was treated like royalty, and in general, those who fought in WW2 were considered heroes.

[jonesforch]

bobgee_1999

Agree But nows days everything is solved by drugs.

Legal or illeagl

[sandy19731]

Take the "I support the troops" ribbon off of your car and make congress and the president support mental health care for these people.


Get them help now. Quit cutting back on mental health care and help these troops. It is the least we can do.

[samthetvcat]

Well I guess it goes without saying that mental health is probably not a big priority for Bush. But gosh what's it going to take to get these heroes the treatment they deserve after Bush pushed them beyond the limits of what all the doctors said was healthy? And given the stigma, wouldn't you think the numbers of sufferers is probably even higher than shown in an evaluation based on self-reporting?

So many jobs these days require a clear mind, ability to concentrate, interacting with people - even from an economic perspective, with the discipline and passion so many soldiers have, it would provide a great return on the investment to patch up their minds as well as their bodies so that they can go out and thrive in their second careers as well.

[shaynabee]

I dont really follow polotics. I am a young mother. My brother is young and planning to get married and join the Air Force. I myself have recently thought about allowing my significant other to join the Army. We are in a situation that causes us to believe that it would be the best thing for our family. And I very randomly found this on the internet. I truthfully cant even tell you how i stumbeled upon it. But nothing I see is good. Could anyone that reads this possibly fill me in. I am a simple civilian who only know what the news tells me, and could possibly become a part of what sounds like a living hell. I do not want an insane husband.... If he does in fact join the army I would expect things to change..... but exactly how bad is it? Someone please tell me the truth about the things that happen over seas. Or maybe even here in our own country.

[brianbwb-2009]

The US military gives Larium to soldiers as a safeguard against malaria.

But google the side effects of Larium (severe depression, hallucinations, and psychotic behavior, but don't take my word, look it up yourselves) which continue even after they stop taking the medication.

This absolutely had to be known beforehand, the side effects have been documented in the accompanying literature from the beginning, but the military probably liked the idea of mentally disturbed psychopaths as soldiers, and who gives a s**t what happens when they finish their duty and are sent back out onto the streets of America.

The Ft Bragg incident, where four GIs returned from Iraq, and brutally murdered their families, might have been connected to Larium poisoning, but the brass squashed the investigation.

[brianbwb-2009]

I'll make it easier for you;

"Lariam (Mefloquine) Side Effects Lawsuits. The most-prescribed malaria drug could produce psychiatric side effects in more than one-quarter of all travelers who take it. Peace Corps volunteers are coming forward saying that over the past 12 years they suffered crippling paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, memory loss, suicidal behavior and physical ailments from seizures to vision difficulty because of the drug handed out by government doctors to prevent malaria. Emerging evidence suggests that a rash of domestic killings by soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in the summer of 2002 may be related to this drug."

And according to the manufacturers these effects have been known to continue even after people stop taking the drug.

[smirk5]

Luckily, I did what Bush asked of me after 9-11. Instead of joining up, I went shopping. No complaints at all.

[ravnslikbals]

To Shayneebee - I would use the Army has my last chance to survive whatever personal dilemmas one has. My son has done 2 tours of Iraq and is scheduled to be released this August but in true Army fashion they 'stoplossed' him this May and now he has serve another tour in Iraq and another 15 months in the Army.

When he came back from his 2nd tour he was pretty well wacked upstairs. He couldn't sleep, had the recurring nightmares and would frequently yell and scream in while he attempted to sleep. He won't divulge some of the things he had to do but I do know innocent people have been killed by his squad. The Army are notorious liars also - you join believing you'll be a PC technician receiving all this advanced training etc. then suddenly your orders change and know you're with the 82nd Airborne.

So yes join the Army if you want to lose all control of your life, destroy your health and be sent off to fight wars that only benefit a few Republicans and long laundry list of campaign financiers.

[myidoncbs]

shaynabee, this is not really the best place to ask for such advice, but without going into any of the horrible details of what could happen to you and your loved ones, let me point out this obvious fact: if you sign up for the US military, you give up ALL OF YOUR RIGHTS-- you no longer have any control over your body, over your mind, over your time. From that moment on, the "commander in cheif" is your absolute dictator, and he can do what he wants with your life: kill you, torture you, turn you into a murderer, poison you, make you sick, tired, insane, whatever. Once you sign up, your life as in independent, thinking and acting human being is OVER.

I wouldn't wish that on anybody. If there is any other way to live (be a janitor, ditch digger, even a homeless street beggar), I'd suggest you try that instead of joining the US military.

[formrusmcsgt]

War is, at best, pure hell. When one is asked to do what's right, there at least is that counter-balance going for you that killing is achieving a worthwhile goal.

When you are asked to do other then what's right, it's a whole different situation.

Viet Nam warped tens of thousands of Marines and soldiers for the same reasons Iraq is produsing mental degradation in our warriors - a misguided use of American military power.

Troops are told day after day that they're being asked to do the honorable thing but, deep down, most know it's a crock of $hit and these are the ramifications that we'll be dealing with for decades.

[gunownerdan]

Now that veterans will lose their constitutional right to keep and bear arms just because they seek help for mental illness, many would rather just keep everything inside and not seek help if it means a loss of their rights.
Gun control kills.

[notsoshocked]

First up, I am a very lucky and fortunate mother, my son returned home from Iraq. My heart goes out to all the families that lost their child while serving. My son is not the same person. He spent about a year and a half *** near comatose from drinking. I say a blessing everyday that he has stopped that. He is always angry and cannot speak to me or his sister with any kindness or concern. He just seems angry all the time. It breaks my heart to realize that I don't even want to be around him. This is not my wonderful, happy, bright and loving child I sent off to war.

[malomaboy06]

The military is only as good as its commanders. Following that logic, we can easily see the soldiers that are being sent know are in it deep.

This entire war has been a crock from the start. So, when you force your soldiers into a place to take away the rights of innocents (not to say they are all innocent), they are bound to have some mental trauma. The facts of life don't lie.

I personally place the blame for the entire situation at the feet of our most "estemeed" president. His incompetence is begining to have far reaching consequences. I can only hope that the American public will use this information to force some reform and accontablilty in washington.

[johnshaft4]

The "mental illness" began with the "Mission Accomplished" Commander in Chief and was very contagious. Anybody who does not split to Canada until this blows over is nuts. There is no valor in dying, getting maimed or losing your mind for the benefir of Halliburton over a bogus invasion/occupation waged on lies.

[hypnotoad72]

I support the troops.

I wish Saddam had been taken out in 15 years ago instead of now.

I wish our own government wouldn't keep cutting troops' well deserved benefits.

http://www.thepropheticyears.com/cults/Apostasy%20in%20the%20Church%20and%20cult%20fiction.htm

http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/The%20Handwriting%20on%20the%20Wall%20Reads%20%20Prepare%20for%20the%20Apocalypse%20Now.htm

[grumpas]

What Bush has done to our troops is criminal! It can't be easy for these guys to go to war knowing they aren't there for an honorable reason but to line some rich f.... pocket! They aren't there to protect our freedoms but to enslave another country! These guys know why we are there. I don't know why the American people have allowed this to happen and won't put a stop to it!

[prelgovisk]

Killing people should be upseting. In real life, cops that shoot criminals often break down and cry and are unlike the Dirty Harry or Charlies Angels characters who kill are are cool and clever about it.

When a person must kill and it does NOT bother them, that is true mental illness.

Sometimes killing must be done
But do it for duty
Not for fun

[kenhamlett]

The first thing that should be noted is that it was government shrinks that said that extended tours of duty would be OK for the soldiers. Now the consensus is that mental problems are on the rise with some saying it is epidemic. Can we ignore the discrepancy?
Along a similar theme we have feelgood legislation in the works to give more power to the mental health community to undermine the constitution to a greater extent by reporting their dubious findings to the federal government on a more streamlined basis.
Unfortunately in both situations their findings and opinions are without value. In the first the end result is to guide more people into their mental health systems and make excessive military tours seem legitimate (no coincidence it seems), and in the second the opinions simply reinforces the false assumption that their opinions have some meaning or might make a difference. Silly notion.

The result is that more people end up as victims of the mental health system and no cures for either of the above situations are realized.
The result of this ongoing attack on the constitution and human rights , and yes the lives and health of citizens, is to entrap people in both government mismanagement and mental health abuse schemes.
Could someone wake up and actually look at the record of such silliness. Our rights, our health, and our lives are in jeopardy because self serving people try to manipulate the facts for their own goals and our citizens and soldiers suffer.

[lifiswhtumak]

We all know war is horrible but I am really dissapointed in Americans that say we should not have gone to war. We should never allow other countries to terrorize us, if we did not fight back we would be considered a WEAK country and give them the balls to attack us again. Bush made a statement for all Americans to leave our Family and freinds alone, or we will fight back and I am proud of that. I don't agree with the lenght of the war but I still support Bush.

As for our Troops: They made the choice to join the Military (thank God for that), we didnt have a draft, no one was forced, yes it is very unfortunate that they are suffering mentally and some are physically, but that is not our Presidents fault, the soilders want to defend our country and are very proud to do so. Now to show our appreciation to all the soilders, we need to support them when they return and help them mentally as much as possible.

My Father was in the Vietnam War and he was very mentally and physically abusive, I have forgiven him because of his mental state, but I feel it is very important that we help the soilders so the abuse does not get taken out on their children. GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS AND THANK YOU!

[formrusmcsgt]

We all know war is horrible but I am really dissapointed in Americans that say we should not have gone to war. We should never allow other countries to terrorize us, if we did not fight back we would be considered a WEAK country and give them the balls to attack us again.
Posted by Lifiswhtumak at 11:50 AM : Jun 16, 2007

Would you be kind enough to post the place(s) and date(s)of Iraq's attacks on the US?

Unless you can offer something along those lines, your post is absolutely senseless.

[justrains]

This has been going on since George W. Bush was allowed to take the oath to become an Officer and again when he took oath to become President. Bush won't allow more money for mental health. He's afraid that his mental health problems will become public.

[photogeezer]

The Bush administration is guilty of extreme political cowardice. To claim this "war on terror" is tantamount to WWII in importance and not institute the draft is cowardly, typical of chicken hawks.

It seems that they bet right that they would get little to no opposition to going to war as long as it was other people's kids who had to bear the burden. They bet that the antics of the latest celebrity trollop would get more attention than the mess into which we have put these decent, trusting young people.

Of course, they're angry. If anything, this war is worse. No one ever told me I'd have to go back to 'Nam once I served my one year.

The men of military age (they're taking them as old as 42) are not signing up. The kids of Senators and fat cat Repubs are not signing up. They don't believe their own rhetoric. How do they expect us to?

[sayfud-deen]

let me make a few observations about lifiswhtumak! you have never been in a war, you would never send your children to war(if you have any), if i gave you a m-16 and some bullets to send you to iraq or afganistan, you would go awol,and you believe everything you hear and see on the zionist controlled news media. which means you don't have a brain in your head. because anyone with half a brain knows that iraq did'nt have weapons of mass destruction and even is they did, they still did not have the technical capacity to harm the u.s.. it is fools like you that run with this rhetoric and lies that come from the current administration no matter how contradictory or stupid it sounds. and i'll bet you can't remember how many different lies you have been told as to why we invaded iraq because cowards like you never go to fight! you just talk stupid!

[gdod25]

US out of Iraq.

[cattlekate]

It would be nice if the FIVE straping, healthy Romney boys and the Bush twins signed up to give these soldiers a rest.

[grammawhamma]

sandy19731 How dare you tell me or anyone to remove "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS" signs etc!! No one likes war...do you you see signs in people's yards saying "support our war"?? NO you don't. You better be *** grateful to the troops that are there...because if they wouldn't have volunteered to be in the military your sorry butt might have been drafted.

[gunownerdan]

Just wait until millions of Mexicans are given amnesty so they can be recruited into the military. Then we won't have to worry about our troops so much anymore, right Bushtards?