Alarmed by the Wall Street Journal's report about 16 active-duty military committing suicide in October, Pharmalot reports Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) asked Sec.of Defense Robert Gates for numbers of soldiers taking anti-depressants. Cardin wrote,
It is imperative that we determine if DOD is prescribing anti‐depressants
to its service members appropriately. My concern is not the long‐term efficacy
of these drugs, but the sheer volume and manner in which these drugs are
being administered to our troops overseas.
Last year, amidst charges of a cover-up, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hi) called for the resignation of Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's mental health chief. The suicide problem in the military was made public during a class-action suit in federal court in San Francisco. At that time, Time Magazine estimated that 12 to 17 percent of combat solidiers were taking anti-depressants.
