Missed Treatment: Soldiers With Mental Health Issues Dismissed For 'Misconduct'

[KamaAina]

http://www.npr.org/2015/10/28/451146230/missed-treatment-soldiers-with-mental-health-issues-dismissed-for-misconduct

Staff Sgt. Eric James, an Army sniper who served two tours in Iraq, paused before he walked into a psychiatrist's office at Fort Carson, Colo. It was April 3, 2014. James clicked record on his smartphone, and then tucked the phone and his car keys inside his cap as he walked through the door to the chair by the therapist's desk.

As he sat there sharing his fears and telling the therapist he'd been thinking about suicide — all while secretly recording the entire session — James was inadvertently helping to bring a problem within the Army to light: As it tries to deal with thousands of soldiers who misbehave after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and then being diagnosed with mental health disorders and traumatic brain injuries, the military sometimes moves to kick them out of the service rather than provide the treatment they need....

And according to figures acquired by NPR and CPR under the Freedom of Information Act, the Army has been pushing out soldiers diagnosed with mental health problems not just at Fort Carson but at bases across the country.

The figures show that since January 2009, the Army has "separated" 22,000 soldiers for "misconduct" after they came back from Iraq and Afghanistan and were diagnosed with mental health problems or TBI. As a result, many of the dismissed soldiers have not received crucial retirement and health care benefits that soldiers receive with an honorable discharge.

Where's Jon Stewart when you need him?

[giftedgirl77]

1. That is patently false.

Any soldier that is determined to have PTSD or a TBI their separation packet has to be sent to the surgeon generals office for review. That order has been out since 2011. 9 times out of 10 a medical evaluation board is started on the soldier instead.

[TwilightGardener]

2. On one hand, I do feel sympathy for these guys--they are obviously disturbed, emotionally

and mentally, and it is almost surely due to their service. On the other hand, two of them committed drunk-driving offenses and a third pointed a gun at his wife. They are no longer fit for military service, clearly. What to do with them (besides, of course, getting them treatment and support they earned)? This is a complicated problem. Disappointed that Ft. Carson has some pretty crappy therapists, as an aside. They sound more harmful than helpful at times.

[2naSalit]

3. K&R for exposure!

http://www.npr.org/2015/10/28/451146230/missed-treatment-soldiers-with-mental-health-issues-dismissed-for-misconduct