Did You Know: 106,000 Soldiers are prescribed some form of pain, depression or anxiety medications.
Read Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention from the United States Army....
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News: Congress Questions Military Leaders on Suicides, Traumatic Brain Injury
Reprinted from ProPublica WASHINGTON, D.C.--Senators pressed senior military leaders last week to improve their efforts to address traumatic brain injuries, suicide and other wounds suffered by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Responding to what he called "disconcerting" reports by NPR and ProPublica, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee that the military needed to better address the wide range of medical and behavioral problems affecting troops. . .
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Consider This: Sol Wachtler's essay, "When the Scars of Battle"
. . .a recurring theme
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News: Witnesses spar at hearings over anti-depressant -- suicide risks

News: Mental health professionals needed by military

News: Soldier suicides prompts senator's inquiry

News: Chronic PTSD affects brain functions
Can time alone heal the impact of combat in Iraq? Not likely, according to the results of a study published in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. . . .
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News: Military shifts ideas about mental health

News: Obama outlines military health challenge

Track Legislation: Medical care for military women
Improvements in mental health treatment for women veterans were part of a bill (HR 1211) the House passed by unanimous vote, 408 to zero. Among the provisions are special training for mental health professionals to treat women for sexual abuse and PTSD, and a study of the barriers, including stigma, to seeking treatment. Reports indicate sexual harassment of military women has increased and is often unreported....
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News: Military launches site for PTSD
The normalization of stress around military matters, such as the length and number of deployments, may ironically reduce seeking help for problems such as PTSD, according to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. When a mental health provider is part of a treatment team, the burden on patients or families to ask for help is greatly reduced. To make it easier for soldiers to seek help, the defense department launched a website, Real Warriors outside the military's domain....
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News: Underreporting PTSD unfounded
A report from the Veteran's Administration Office of Inspector General concluded that therapists at a Texas facility did not stop diagnosing PTSD after an email from a staff psychologist suggesting cost and time saving modifications. The report was requested by a congressional committee after the psychologist's email was made public. Diagnosis has a direct impact on eligibility for benefits, and PTSD has a higher compensation than adjustment disorder. The investigation also confirmed that aftercare groups which had been meeting...
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News: PTSD doesn't earn Purple Heart, disability
The Pentagon has decided that PTSD is not worthy of a Purple Heart, saying it was not intentionally caused by an "outside force or agent." According to Stars and Stripes, which reported some of the story in May, a military spokesperson explained that the Purple Heart has never been awarded for mental disorders or psychological conditions resulting from witnessing or experiencing traumatic combat events (e.g., combat stress reaction, shell-shock, combat stress fatigue, acute stress disorder, or PTSD). The Purple...
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News: Book details military mental health crisis
Aaron Glantz, author of the The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans, discussed the military mental health crisis, now a signature of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. During a radio conversation with Lenny Lopate, Glantz said failures to address PTSD, suicides, long waits, and a shortage of professional help all reside within a military system which has historically overlooked mental health concerns. This is his third book about Iraq, and it adds to growing alarm, also apparent...
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Film: "Another Kind of VALOR"

News: General talks about PTSD and stigma
On the eve of Veterans Day, Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge is reminding the country that soldiers suffering from war-related trauma can benefit from treatment. Blackledge received psychiatric counseling for the symptoms of PTSD while recovering from combat injuries he received in Iraq....
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News: In the journals. . .focus on youth
From the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine: In the 1960s an anti-war poster read, "War is not healthy for children or other living things." A study in the Nov. issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine confirmed this sentiment with a study of 169 families: "Children age 3 and older who had a deployed parent had significantly higher scores on measures of externalizing and overall behavior problems than children of the same age without a deployed parent."...
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News: Mental health in Obama and McCain proposals
With health care reform topping the list of voters' concerns, the Kaiser Family Health Blog created a chart comparing the proposals of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Click here to read their positions and learn who "supports housing for seriously mentally ill veterans," who calls for halting the discharge of military for "having a service connected psychological injury." Also included are statements about SCHIP, generic drugs, retired veterans....
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News: House passes veteran's mental health bill
A voice vote in the House approved a compromise for the "Veteran's Mental Health Bill" calling for improvements in treatment and research for PTSD, substance abuse disorders and for expanding the time when military families may seek mental health services. For updates on S. 2162, click here....
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News: House passes veteran's mental health bill
A voice vote in the House approved a compromise for the "Veteran's Mental Health Bill" calling for improvements in treatment and research for PTSD, substance abuse disorders and for expanding the time when military families may seek mental health services. For updates on S. 2162, click here....
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Did You Know: 345,000 people with a mental illness are in prisons.
Read more from the American Prospect....
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Did You Know: 345,000 people with a mental illness are in prisons.
Read more from the American Prospect....
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News: Psychiatry and torture
As the current war on torture itself turned to torturing prisoners in Guantanamo, and during rendition, has the military asked psychiatrists to violate ethical boundaries and even international agreements? The 9.11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine discusses the tensions imposed by military service for psychiatrists, including certifying soldiers for redeployment....
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News: Psychiatry and torture
As the current war on torture itself turned to torturing prisoners in Guantanamo, and during rendition, has the military asked psychiatrists to violate ethical boundaries and even international agreements? The 9.11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine discusses the tensions imposed by military service for psychiatrists, including certifying soldiers for redeployment....
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News: GAO scolds DoD on mental health assessments
In a report released this week, the Government Accounting Office notes delays in assessing the post-deployment mental health needs of soldiers.Although DOD concurred with the recommendation included in the 2007 report, as of June 2008, the department had not implemented the recommendation. As a result, DOD's quality assurance program cannot provide decision makers with reasonable assurance that service members complete PDHRA. Also see AirForce Times Report: DoD cannot ensure troops get checkups...
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News: Violence, mental health and human rights
Several articles in the August 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association address the relationship between violence and mental health. Articles have an international focus, and examine the impact of combat and armed conflict for military personnel exposed to combat; child soldiers in Nepal; children in Indonesia; citizens exposed to violence in Liberia; and sexual violence toward women in India....
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News: Hotline helps
In the first year of operation, the veterans' suicide hotline received a total of 55,000 calls from returning soldiers or their relatives. Rep. Harry Mitchell (AR) said the 22,000 calls from vets alone indicated the Veterans' Admnistreation had to do more yet to meet the crisis in mental health which has resulted in a jump in suicide. It's been estimated that one in five vets are returning from Iraq or Afghanistan with PTSD, and the hotline was installed last year...
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News: Changes at SAMHSA
Terry Cline, PhD, is leaving the helm of SAMHSA for Iraq where he will coordinate American efforts to rebuild a health system. His temporary replacement, Rear Admiral Eric Broderick, D.D.S., a dentist, is an expert in oral health, and the Indian Health Service. With a budget of $3.3 billion, SAMHSA is responsible for " improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's delivery systems to prevent substance abuse, treat addiction and provide mental health services." In the past week,...
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News: VA suicide hotline a start
In a speech yesterday on the Senate floor, Washington's Senator Patty Murray applauded the opening of a suicide hotline (1-800-273-TALK) but called for better staffing and programs to meet alarming rates of suicide and PTSD. A recording of her address is available here....
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News: Chantix again: VA experiments with vets
According to documents obtained by the Washington Times, the Veterans Administration (VA) attempted to enroll 2000 vets with PTSD into a study about smoking cessation using Chantix. Despite well known risks, and the FDA's warning about suicidal thoughts, the study continued. Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) demanded the study be "immediately suspended."...
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News: PTSD cases jump
Rates of diagnosed PTSD continue to jump, growing 50 percent over last year, according to new reports issued by the Army. The highest number of cases come from the Marines, and the incidence increases with the length and number of deployments....
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News: APA panel: Liaison psychiatry at Walter Reed Hospital
Dr. Harold J. Wain discusses treating one soldier who was flown to Walter Reed Hospital with half her scull resting on her abdomen and another who picked up his severed arm so it could be reattached. These are two of 3,500 combat medical emergencies airlifted to the hospital as a result of the war in Iraq. Wain heads the liaison psychiatry service and he outlined procedures at the American Psychiatric Association for automatically placing psychiatrists on the treatment team prior...
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News: Suicide vs combat in Iraq
The risk of suicide after leaving Iraq might surpass that of actual combat, Thomas Insel, head of NIMH, told reporters during a press briefing an annual meeting of psychiatrists in Washington, D.C....
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News: Military sends mixed messages
Calling PTSD the “unseen wounds” of war, Sec. of Defense Robert Gates is urging soldiers to get help “to remove the stigma.” Yet in practice, there are people like Sgt. Scott Metcalf, Minnesota National Guard, whose doctors say he has PTSD, but “the Army officially says he doesn't.” NPR reports on his 14-month hospitalized struggle, and the eventual disability rating of anxiety disorder, which carries a lesser benefit....
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Track Legislation: H.R. 5892
Rep. John Hall (D-NY) introduced the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 on April 23, 2008: “To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to modernize the disability benefits claims processing system of the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure the accurate and timely delivery of compensation to veterans and their families and survivors, and for other purposes.”
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News: Trial hears of veteran suicides
On the opening day of a non-jury trial in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti heard about backlogs, delays, and 18 suicides a day despite staff increases in VA hospitals. A class-action suit, brought by two advocacy organizations, asks for improved treatment for mental health care and not for a financial settlement. The trial follows last week’s report from the Rand Corporation"Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery" noting a serious...
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News: Third House hearing on PTSD
The House Committee on Veteran Affairs held its third hearing on PTSD to determine the adequacy of the Defense Department's measures to help the one in five soldiers affected by combat stress. Dr. Charles W. Hoge, director of psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, explained how the military conducted post-deployment assessments, noting that signs of stress often take two-three months to appear. He discussed the awareness of the association between concussions on the battlefield and PTSD. A webcast...
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News: PTSD disability hearings
Testimony from the Senate hearings about disability compensation with an emphasis on PTSD is now available. One finding about the Veterans' Administration's benefits system for "service-disabled veterans with a mental primary disability" confirms that: "overall health percentiles and overall life satisfaction percentiles are far below those with physical primary disabilities at the same rating level. Their earnings in general are well below those with physical primary disabilities. The data clearly indicate that their life experience is less satisfying than that...
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News: Raw deal for vets' families
House subcommittee hearings addressed insufficient help for military families, including two million children, needing mental health services. More than half of today’s soldiers have families, yet VA medical facilities have limited their services and have not hired available family therapists. One-in-five soldiers who responded to a survey from the military’s Mental Health Advisory Team reported they were in planning a divorce. The Army Times reports that the Senate rejected a Pentagon request for increased co-pays for prescription drugs under the...
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News: British soldiers
The BBC reports veteran services will be merged into Britain’s National Health Service for better tracking and mental health service after soldiers leave the military. Officials said this ends the policy of relying on “luck” and “good intentions.”...
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News: Backlog in vet claims persists
A Veterans' Affairs house panel heard experts say again that the system for addressing benefit claims is dysfunctional. The volume of claims -- 838,000 pending for 2007 -- and the delay in addressing them, which takes nearly six months, requires immediate attention for chronic conditions including mental disorders such as depression or PTSD. The hearings were held following a GAO report released earlier in the week. The President's 2009 budget proposal calls for hiring another 2,600 people to process claims....
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News: Vets sue feds for treatment
With increasing rates of suicide, and long waiting times for mental health treatment, a law suit asks the courts to force government action. The San Francisco Chronicle reports on a class action lawsuit brought by Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth challenging the administration’s claim that “veterans have no legal right to specific types of medical care.”...
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News: Hearings on vets' health
More than 40 percent of the veterans returning from Iraq require mental health treatment and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held hearings on eight relevant bills yesterday. They include: HR 4231 – Rural Veterans Health Care Access Act of 2007 -- calling for vouchers for services 30 miles from a VA facility – which the VA opposes arguing it creates fragmented care, permits a non-VA provider to recommend treatment, and applies to residents of urban as well as...
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News: Suicide prevention measures for military
Differing view of progress toward implementing suicide prevention programs were heard on Capitol Hill yesterday in testimony before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Telling a story that has become all too familiar were parents Mike and Kim Bowman, whose 23-year old son Specialist Tim Bowman committed suicide in 2005 after returning from Iraq with the Illinois National Guard. “The VA mental health system is broken in function, and understaffed in operation,” Bowman said, calling the veteran suicide rate an...
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News: Soldier called AWOL at VA hospital
A soldier was arrested at a Vetarans Affairs hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where he was under observation for a weekend before he was scheduled for re-deployment to Iraq. Spc. Justin Faulkner, who was receiving psychiatric care and medications, re-enlisted for a $20,000 bonus but his symptoms worsened as his second redeployment date grew near. After spending one night in jail, he was allowed to return to Fort Campbell where the Associated Press reports he is being treated for PTSD. Desertions...
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News: Soldiers need follow-up
A survey of 88,235 soldiers returning from Iraq indicates that psychiatric symptoms, including depression, PTSD , and alcohol abuse, can take months to become apparent. The study, the first of its kind from the Walter Reed Military Institute, aimed to evaluate the impact of two screenings on detection and treatment. The first was soon after return; the second three to six months later. In many instances, soldiers had already left service, or were beyond the six month window for military...
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Consider This: . . .from the APHA, Nov. 5-7
by Phyllis Vine
The American Public Health Association annual meeting in Washington, DC, has a number of events discussing a range of issues from Monday's session on empowering consumers in mental health treatments to disaster preparedness, school based reforms. Read summaries of selected sessions, including Dr. Ron Manderscheid's presentation about PTSD and returning vets.


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News: Vet recovery coordinators: are 10 nurses enough?
The Veterans Administration announced it had reached an agreement with the Department of Defense to hire "federal recovery coordinators" to assist soldiers needing a continuum of care. This was one of the top recommendations from the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors also called the Dole-Shalala Commission. But the job posted on the VA site (Oct. 31) specified openings for “up to 10 Nurses.” With the injured running into the tens of thousands, is this enough?...
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Consider This: Meeting the crisis in veteran health
Rates of combat-related PTSD, anxiety disorders and depression are climbing off the charts for veterans and their families. But will competing blue-panel commissions slow progress in closing the gaps in the veteran health crisis?
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News: Vets commisssion findings
After two years of study, the congressionally mandated Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission issued its Report. Among the recommendations was updating the schedule for rating disabilities (VASRD). Currently it groups 16 major diagnostic categories from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual into a single system. The commission specifically called for updating criteria for PTSD....
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News: Strengthening wounded warrior bill
Last minute changes to the Defense Authorization Bill include halting a Pentagon practice of discharging soldiers by claiming they had pre-existing mental health problems. About 10 soldiers a day were booted this way, and they lost their medical benefits as a result. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo) told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doubted pre-existing “personality disorders” afflicted 22,500 soldiers, and he worked with Sen. Barack Obama (D-ILL) to insert corrections to alter this practice. Another recent change came...
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News: Treatment for vets wanting
A GAO report released yesterday (9.26) showed shortfalls in meeting stated objectives for returning service members. Although a joint committee of the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs recommended numerous changes -- continuity of care, case-management teams, better transition from active service to veteran status, and expedited disability hearings -- for the most part, they have not been implemented. The day before, Rep. Harry E. Mitchell (D-Ariz) rebuked the VA because not all of the beds in the...
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News: Homeric legends help vets
Veterans Administration psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Shay has won a MacArthur genius award for his work with returning soldiers in a Boston outpatient clinic. Initially treating Vietnam vets, and now those from Iraq, Shay noticed similarities to struggles in Homer's Iliad and The Odyssey. Soon these classic tales became a staple in his work, and soldiers appreciated "that they're part of a long historical context — that they are not personally deficient for having become injured in war." At one point...
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News: Study of Vietnam-era PTSD
Anxiety Insights reports how a controversy over the prevalence of PTSD in Vietnam soldiers sheds light on how disorders are counted. But it does not diminish the fact that, "The more soldiers are exposed to the horrors of war, the more likely they are to suffer from posttraumatic stress." According to a study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, nearly one soldier in five experienced PTSD from that combat. The study does not include service in Iraq or Afghanistan....
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News: Anticipating combat needs of soldiers
Psychiatry Weekly concludes a two-part series with Naval Captain Robert A. Alonso about improvements in services addressing combat trauma and frequent redeployments. Initiatives include embedding mental health practitioners on the front lines, special programs for returning soldiers, training commanding officers, and using natural support systems made up of other soldiers. The Providence Journal reports Rep. Patrick Kennedy's (D-RI) calls for the Psychological Kevlar Act to anticipate PTSD and provide preventive training. The Washington Post reports the army is initiating a...
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News: Wyoming addresses vets needs
The Wyoming Department of Health is working with private physicians to screen all vets for trauma-related injuries including PTSD. This is part of a larger state initiative asking Medicaid to provide a code for physician billing to meet vet needs....
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News: Military children struggle
NPR discusses the impact for military children of their parents' long deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The broadcast cites a study in the August 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association in which the authors conclude: "[R]ates of maltreatment are greater when the soldiers are on combat-related deployments." With tours of duty increasing, and multiple re-deployments, these patterns raise considerable concern....
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News: Reid supports independent Wounded Warrior bill
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev) proposes to untangle the Wounded Warrior Bill from the defense reauthorization bill for a vote before the August recess. The House passed a bill (HR. 1585) in March, but in the Senate (S.1606) it became bogged down in spending for the Iraq war. The bill contains measures to improve dilapidated facilities, speed transition from military to veteran systems, and beef up treatment for brain injury and psychiatric disorders such as PTSD....
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News: Vets sue VA
Frustrating delays in receiving medical care and benefits led two veteran groups to file a class-action suit against the Veterans Administration in federal court today. The 73-page complaint (pdf download) notes there are 600,000 backlogged claims, and that the denial of claims has increased by 100 percent in the past two years. It also notes that of the "1400 VA hospitals and clinics, only twenty-seven have inpatient PTSD programs."...
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News: Study says adult suicide attempts precede antidepressants
American Journal of Psychiatry, July 2007 abstract $$ A large (N=226,866) looking at the relationship between antidepressants and adult suicide attempts concludes, "Suicide attempt rates were lower among patients who were treated with antidepressants than among those who were not." Researchers found suicide attempts highest "in the month before starting treatment, next highest in the month after starting treatment, and declining thereafter." The study was conducted through the Vetarans' Administration on people who were diagnosed with depression in 2003-04....
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News: Senate bill for suicide prevention
Kaisernetwork.org, June 28, 2007 The Senate Veteran's Affairs Committee voted to approve a suicide prevention bill with family education, public awareness messages, and trained counselors at VA facilities. Four other measures aimed at improving veterans' health were voted out of committee....
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News: Marines suffering PTSD
Screening for PTSD should be required for all Marines involved in misconduct leading to discharge, Naval officers told the Marine Corps Times. Soldiers with a less than honorable discharge risk losing health benefits....
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News: Vietnam era PTSD still hurting families
Daily Telegraph, June 19, 2007 From Boston to Australia come reports about PTSD tracking families. Research at Queensland University, Au., is exploring the legacy of Vietnam leading to parental stress which influences children. "Deaths by suicide amongst Vietnam veteran's children is three times higher than the average," reports the president of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia. Sunday's Boston Globe ran the story of a son following his father's footsteps, with duty and trauma from Iraq similar to his father's...
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News: VA's Puget Sound flunks assessment, flunks vets
VA officials were aware of problems, yet failed to improve patient safety at Puget Sound's hospitals, according to a report issued by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. In an unusual step, the commission recommended a "preliminary denial of accreditation." The report was made public by Washington's Sen. Patty Murray. Murray then called for an emergency meeting, and described a "lack of leadership." That was before she heard that information about a patient who harmed himself...
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News: Military support becomes specific
Government officials recommended several measures to improve the mental health of members of the armed services, according to Kaiser News Network. The recommendations ranged from increasing the number of clinicians, to help for service family members, to a Senate subcommittee adding $3.2 billion more to budget recommendations than President Bush sought to fund veterans affairs and military construction. In addition, a blue-ribbon task force evaluating the military health system confirmed widely publicized reports that it had "fallen significantly short" of...
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News: Brits reassess soldier need
Politics.co.uk   June 11, 2007 A mental health program for British vets will now provide free evaluation to anyone involved in military operations since 1982. Some worry resources meeting the needs of combat vets from Iraq and Afghanistan, following the reduction of the mental health services, according to the British Association of Counselors and Psychotherapists....
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News: Military’s TRICARE still failing
AP // SignOnSanDiego, June 10, 2007 The Associated Press reports continuing problems with TRICARE when it comes to mental health services. TRICARE is the military insurance program run by the Department of Defense but soldiers and their families are having difficulty with its coverage. Some have been forced to drive two hours or more for therapists, others spend months finding one who is appropriate to a need (such as grief counseling for child, others have given up altogther because reimbursements...
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Commentary: When the Scars of Battle Haven't Healed: Reflections on Memorial Day
by Sol Wachtler
Memorial Day should be a time of reflection, remembrance, and gratitude to those members of our armed forces who served and died for our country. My Memorial Day reflection went back to 1994 when I was in a mental health prison unit in Rochester, Minnesota.
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News: Army's message about PTSD still wanting
National Public Radio, May 24, 2007 Fort Carson says it has developed a training program to help commanding officers better serve soldiers with PTSD, but experts say it falls short of accepted psychiatric wisdom. "The most significant changes appeared to be rhetorical,” says NPR’s Daniel Zwerdling.Destructive symptoms often received punishment, not treatment, and an independent panel of experts said messages about soldiers who seek help were ambiguous....
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News: Of vets and vetoes: a failed health policy
The News and Observer, May 11, 2007 In the on-going disgrace about health care for wounded military, the McClatchey Newspapers charge that Veterans Affairs has exaggerated its accomplishments, “inflating its achievements in ways that make it appear more successful than it is.” Meanwhile, the Institute of Medicine has issued "PTSD Compensation and Military Service," showing inconsistent patterns of disability compensations for PTSD. Plugging some of the holes for PTSD treatment would be provided immediately with $600 million for brain injury...
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Links: Veterans
Government and nonprofit resources for soldiers and vets. Updated 10.04.07
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News: Mental health centers proposed for troops
Signsonsandiego.com, April 25, 2007 Senators Barbara Boxer and Joe Lieberman proposed the "Mental Health for Wounded Warriors Act of 2007" creating designated centers to deal with the military's mental health crisis. Boxer said, "The bill would establish Centers of Excellence within the DoD to research and guide the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies to prevent, identify, and treat combat-related mental health conditions."...
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News: Mental health centers proposed for troops
Signsonsandiego.com, April 25, 2007 Senators Barbara Boxer and Joe Lieberman proposed the "Mental Health for Wounded Warriors Act of 2007" creating designated centers to deal with the military's mental health crisis. Boxer said, "The bill would establish Centers of Excellence within the DoD to research and guide the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies to prevent, identify, and treat combat-related mental health conditions."...
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News: Despite upgrades, Vet Centers fall short
Staff and personnel at the VA's Vet Centers are understaffed to meet the influx of vets requiring help. According to USA Today, "114 of the 209 Vet Centers need at least one extra psychologist or therapist to help with the influx of veterans." The VA is slated to add fewer than 61....
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News: House passes bill for veterans’ health
The House passed, by unanimous vote (426-0), the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act to address the health care crisis confounding soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to upgrading services, it specifies help for families and training for early detection of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal tendencies, along with more help for the families of wounded soldiers. A presidential commission, chaired by former Sen. Bob Dole, is scheduled to tackle this problem next month for the White House....
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News: Task force to convene hearings about veterans' care
Sen. Larry Craig (senior Republican on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee) will chair hearings about gaps in government services for combat vets. “The panel is only going to be in operation for approximately 45 days,” Craig said, “so it is important that people with concerns act quickly.”...
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News: Military resources insufficient for soldiers’ families
A preliminary report critical of the military’s programs for meeting the psychological needs of redeploying soldiers was released by the Presidential Task Force of the American Psychological Association. The Task Force noted an absence of coordination and implementation of mental health programs across and within military branches. It also identifieid inconsistency as an additional burden to families. TRICARE does not provide mental health services to families overseas, and MilitaryOneSource does not treat children under 12 years old. More than 700,000...
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News: Committee questions VA chief about soldier suicides
VA Secretary James Nicholson responded to pointed questions about the proposed VA budget and how the agency would meet the mental health needs of soldiers. Members of the House Appropriations Committee asked pointed questions about soldiers who sought treatment for suicidal thoughts but were turned away and placed on waiting lists. The case of twice decorated Marine Private Jonathan Schulze who was placed 26 on a list for a specialized 12-bed unit. Committee chairman Senator Daniel Akaka has asked for...
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