Army Announces Mental Health Screening for All Soldiers
September 14th, 2009 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Headline
A bevy of reports about the declining mental health of United States soldiers returning from conflicts in the Middle East has sparked a great deal of private and public interest in the development of a solution, and a new Army program set for swift deployment is aimed at helping this development along. The program will screen all active duty soldiers, as well as those in reserve, as pertains their self-assessments of mental health, well-being, and any feelings of depression, stress, or anxiety they may be experiencing. Results are expected in October, and may greatly help the efforts of future recovery programs for veterans of the armed services.
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6 comments so far
It’s certainly time something like this was more available. I’ve had many friends and loved ones, including my husband suffering long term trauma from war and deployment. It’s so sad to see them come home so damaged and changed and receive so little support from the army. These men and women are fighting for our country and they should not be left to suffer alone in silence.
War creates mental health problems and this is a fact that cannot be disregarded by anybody. All the brutal injuries and death all around the place is more than sufficient to destabilize the mental health of just anybody and even though army personnel are put through training initially, this may be a big problem for them too.
Initiatives taken in this direction are more than welcome and are certainly laudable.
Serving in the armed forces takes a toll… not just physically but also mentally… This is a truth that is acknowledged by each and every one, yet very little is done regarding the problem. Pre-service training to make the personnel mentally strong is done, but needs to be constantly tuned up and updated, and even post-war service counseling and treatment programs like this one should be encouraged.
It is onto the personnel to keep our flag flying high and it is onto us to take good care of them. This new program should be encouraged by each one of us.
The armed forces personnel are one of the least-appreciated lot even though they work in one of the most remote and dangerous environments. There health takes a battering due to their duty and this includes both their physical health as well as mental health.
These kind of programs need to be encouraged and implemented thoroughly, as this is one way of saying “thank you” to all the great people serving our nation.
So they are going to do all of this screening. . . does this mean that they will receive care for this as well?
This is the same Army that tried to sweep Pat Tillman’s death under the rug by actively refusing to report that he was killed by ‘friendly fire’.
Let the buyer beware – caveat emptor!