Mental Health Issues in the Military
Michael Alster
Any American would be hard-pressed to turn on the news and not find something, anything, said about Operation Iraqi Freedom. The war in Iraq is one of the most publicized (and controversial) topics so far of the 21st century. Unfortunately, a common headline reads something like this: “5 Marines killed in Baghdad Today,” “15 American troops injured in a suicide bomb attack in Tikrit this morning.” What about the casualties that aren’t reported on the news? The troops that suffer - not from physical wounds that can heal, be stitched up, or adapted to live with – but from non-visible scars. Mental injuries are becoming increasingly common among today’s decorated war heroes. Many are too embarrassed, scared or uninformed to speak up about it. What factors increase a soldier’s chance of developing stress related symptoms? Does the military do enough to prevent, inform and treat? What else can be done to prevent a soldier from going too far, and taking their own life? The military does provide services to protect and benefit the mental health of its soldiers; however, it is overlooked, disregarded, and ineffective. The Department of defense does not do enough to overcome the hurdles faced to ensure that today’s soldiers and tomorrow’s veterans have access to the information and the care they require.
This paper will reference several reports in particular. Due to the nature of the research, very few researchers are willing or able to properly survey the United States Military Personnel and obtain an effective study indicative of the majority of deployed soldiers. Each year, the United States Army sends a Mental Health Advisory Team into the war zone to survey the mental health of soldiers currently deployed. The most recent, (MHAT-V) was issued February 14, 2008, and considers 1,368 soldiers serving in Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively. The MHAT-V
Any American would be hard-pressed to turn on the news and not find something, anything, said about Operation Iraqi Freedom. The war in Iraq is one of the most publicized (and controversial) topics so far of the 21st century. Unfortunately, a common headline reads something like this: “5 Marines killed in Baghdad Today,” “15 American troops injured in a suicide bomb attack in Tikrit this morning.” What about the casualties that aren’t reported on the news? The troops that suffer - not from physical wounds that can heal, be stitched up, or adapted to live with – but from non-visible scars. Mental injuries are becoming increasingly common among today’s decorated war heroes. Many are too embarrassed, scared or uninformed to speak up about it. What factors increase a soldier’s chance of developing stress related symptoms? Does the military do enough to prevent, inform and treat? What else can be done to prevent a soldier from going too far, and taking their own life? The military does provide services to protect and benefit the mental health of its soldiers; however, it is overlooked, disregarded, and ineffective. The Department of defense does not do enough to overcome the hurdles faced to ensure that today’s soldiers and tomorrow’s veterans have access to the information and the care they require.
This paper will reference several reports in particular. Due to the nature of the research, very few researchers are willing or able to properly survey the United States Military Personnel and obtain an effective study indicative of the majority of deployed soldiers. Each year, the United States Army sends a Mental Health Advisory Team into the war zone to survey the mental health of soldiers currently deployed. The most recent, (MHAT-V) was issued February 14, 2008, and considers 1,368 soldiers serving in Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively. The MHAT-V
Cited: Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health (2007 An Achievable Vision: Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health. Falls Church, VA; Defense Health Board Hall, Lynn