Efforts to provide mental health care for war veterans falling short
By GREG BARNES AND JOHN RAMSEY
The Fayetteville Observer
Published: September 26, 2012
The last battle of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is being fought at home.
And in 2012, the military and the VA have done more than ever to respond to the anguish of men and women who are haunted by war.
This year, the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs rolled out promising new programs and research to identify and treat post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other lingering effects of combat that afflict as many as one in five service members.
Myriad studies are under way. Budgets for mental health treatment programs are doubling. Thousands of new counselors have been hired.
But there is little evidence that the tide has turned in the battle. Too many service members suffering from mental health problems still are not being identified until they get into trouble. Suicides are climbing. Commanders struggle with the twin demands of monitoring the mental health of their soldiers while maintaining focus on their core mission of training for war.
http://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/the-last-battle-efforts-to-provide-mental-health-care-for-war-veterans-falling-short-1.190847
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According to this article, Secretary Panetta thinks first-line leaders like lieutenants, captains, sergeants, staff sergeants, platoon sergeants and first sergeants should do more to "fix" the problem - like they don't have enough responsibility or enough to do already. How about trying 10 years or more of peace not forever wars...maybe there wouldn't be so many more broken soldiers.
