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Army plans to hire more psychiatrists »

Posted by: TechnologyExpert 1 year, 2 months ago

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Overwhelmed by the number of soldiers returning from war with mental problems, the Army is planning to hire at least 25 percent more psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.

Read Full Story at news.yahoo.com

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Comments So Far: 57
  • 100%
    TechnologyExpert1 year, 2 months ago

    A contract finalized this week but not yet announced calls for spending $33 million to add about 200 mental health professionals to help soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health needs, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

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    12 Replies

    • 33%
      Neophile1 year, 2 months ago

      They'll be busy. You'd have to be out of this world insane to join the army nowadays.

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        GODIMMAD1 year, 2 months ago

        I wish more ppl watched the CBS show this week "The Unit."

        It had alot to do with the PTSD, and how it plays. Its just something someone coined to describe it. Kinda like the kids "problems" with ADD. They are hyper...get over it, thats what kids are!!1 Soldiers have seen many things that we "public" cant handle so we found a problem that we can get feely feely with them. Its LIFE, get over it.Deal with it. Someday soon the Postal Disorder with show up for ppl that dont like how they are treated bc someone hurt their feelings.

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        mark-stevens1 year, 2 months ago

        Unless you are suffering from post trauma like I am, where are all these opinions coming from?? I have had my share of shrinks ready to put me on drugs, just to have me on drugs. One cowboy had my dad all figured out in fifteen minutes and me in another fifteen.

        Psychiatrists are psychologist that can hand out drugs. Some of the drugs seem to be a fad. I went to one Doctor that prescribed a drug that may cause liver damage. The drug was for anger management... I don't have an anger problem?? I went to another Doctor days later he also tried to get me on the same drug???

        Hiring these guys maybe adding to the problem.

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        2 Replies

    • 100%
      gamahuche1 year, 2 months ago

      "Meanwhile, the White House has backed away from earlier threats to veto a spending bill containing $4 billion more than President Bush sought for veterans' health care.

      Just last month, White House budget director Rob Portman pledged that Bush would veto bills from Congress that would break through Bush's budget caps."

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      5 Replies

      • 0%
        gamahuche1 year, 2 months ago

        A very sad story and one which gives warning of the long-term effects of this war on the fabric of US society.

        The hidden costs - emotional, physical, psychological - to individual soldiers and their families won't be resolved for decades.

        A matter of great grief for everyone whether you were for or against the war; I sincerely hope that it doesn't become a partisan issue either in the national political realm nor on this thread.

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        • 100%
          GODIMMAD1 year, 2 months ago

          What bill? Give us the name or something! You know what it was right?? Was it the retreat bill, or the Amesty bill?

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          2 Replies

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          engineer1 year, 2 months ago

          Bush also needs a psychiatrist

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          foksipayne1 year, 2 months ago

          It's about time they realize that sending someone into hell and back is dangerous to their mental health!

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            WCFIELDS1 year, 2 months ago

            Even worse, sending them into Hell for a specified length of time and then when the time period is about up Extending it. This recalls an old Psychological Experiment where Lab Rats are trained in specific rules for obtaining food. The rules are then reversed. As the animal learns the new rules those rules are then reversed, and so on. Soon the rat simply lies on the floor quivering and will not respond to anything at all until it dies.

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            1 Reply

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          gamahuche1 year, 2 months ago

          THE ABOVE IS A SPAM MESSAGE. DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK!

          Unbelievable cynicism to use this thread for such a selfish purpose.

          I've just checked this "member's" participation and it consists SOLELY of 1 message to many threads, each of which contains the same link.

          If someone knows how to get him/her banned that would seem like a good idea!

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          2 Replies

          • 0%
            dandt16121 year, 2 months ago

            REPORTED!!

            Please report any spam you see on here. Just hit report at the top of the page and it will tell you how. Thanks

            Reply
            • 40%
              GODIMMAD1 year, 2 months ago

              gj

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            • 100%
              MikeReardon1 year, 2 months ago

              Long wars always leave the military with political issues that everyone else wants to leave behind. The troops in the military are all committed to those still in the field. These problems are going to be returned to military bases back home and into the cities. They will need to gain the political skills to keep medical support for these extended problems as a political issues that can not be forgotten. The center of many new House and Senate candidates will be committed to those still in the field. Get ready.

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                saadhusain1 year, 2 months ago

                Me thinks the White House needs them all.

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                  MntnWllm1 year, 2 months ago

                  A friend from work recently said Bon Voyage to his son (24 yr old brave strong & skilled- I've known since he was a baby)...who is going BACK to Iraq...Marine Medic...because he fears for his comrades' saftey. I know I personally have been so worried everyday about this young man that it is driving ME to distraction, and I am only on the outer fringe. I hope we give the support deserved and needed to the Iraq participants and their families. No - more than hope...I DEMAND...as citizens, should we accept anything less?

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                  • 90%
                    worthlesswhiteman1 year, 2 months ago

                    I hope G.W. goes and sees one. He is insane and treats the armed service personnel as if they are trash. Meanwhile he invites the latinos over the boarder to fill the place of the trash he just put out.

                    Are you offended by my saying that the armed service personnel are trash? You shouldn't be because this is reality. Those poor kids were sent over there without adequate equipment (e.g., bullet proof vests, etc.) Is that not how you would treat trash?

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                    • 80%
                      Lamalas1 year, 2 months ago

                      I think that's hope has gone for US soldier, their familly and Iraq citizen long time ago.

                      The war is "finish" for more than 2 years and US Soldier and innocent citizen still continue to die avery day.

                      Since last week the count up to 3500 US solidiers who were killed in Iraq and very much more innocent citizens too.

                      What a shame that the war cause much more innocents victims than the 9/11 did...

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                      1 Reply

                      • 83%
                        ciera-marie1 year, 2 months ago

                        3500 US service men and women.

                        That's slightly over half the people on an aircraft carrier.

                        The size of a village, small town or small parish. This is sad.

                        Not to mention the Iraqi civilians. Do we really know the exact number of Iraqi civilians killed?

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                      • 100%
                        evelyna1 year, 2 months ago

                        They send them over without adequate equipment because they want them to be killed. If they return they are a liability.

                        The gov. must pay their medical until they die, college and retirement benefits.

                        The gov. wants everyone putting money into the system not taking out.

                        Plenty of money to ****** away on the politicans who are really the biggest drain of all, not an asset.

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                        2 Replies

                        • 100%
                          Lamalas1 year, 2 months ago

                          "They send them over without adequate equipment because they want them to be killed. If they return they are a liability."

                          Yeah of course dude! And I add that all of this is a plan made ba alliens from Mars who want to kill US citizen whith the help of Debuhya who is in fact a smart commander in chief of Allien's army...

                          Take care dude... They're EVERYWHERE!

                          Reply

                          1 Reply

                      • 100%
                        hubba121 year, 2 months ago

                        its a good move, although more can be done!

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                        • 0%
                          vor1 year, 2 months ago

                          We see the 3,500 figure and we hear the comments from the Right about how low this figure is in relation to other death counts. Yet tens of thousands of soldiers are surviving this war with wounds that will never heal, mental and physical.

                          To change the subject slightly we recently had a soldier from my hometown who was killed in Iraq. At first it was hostile fire. Then it was non-hostile fire. Does that mean friendly fire? No. Then it was non-duty, non hostile fire. Then we learned it was a head wound. In other words the kid shot himself in the head. But the army still does not say this. His death is decribed simply as a non-hostile incident. I couldn't help wondering how his family must have felt.

                          Reply
                          • 100%
                            NicholasDonovan1 year, 2 months ago

                            Actually this should have been done years ago. As a student physician and a combat veteran, I can say there is a challenge in adapting to a society for which your job may or may not have a direct equivalent (i.e., infantry platoon, special ops personnel etc.)

                            Often, there is little if any transitional time and it's hard as hell to get into a civilian mode of thinking.

                            Those of my fellow combat veterans will attest, besides the PTSD, you build up a rage and resentment toward both systems.

                            You have resentment toward the civilian system that seems hopelessly undisciplined and unorganized and resentment toward the military for not preparing you for the difference.

                            You feel guilty that you made it back and your friends did not and it compounds everything else.

                            Anyone who doubts the huge number of homeless vets, (of which I have been one) need only go to Virginia or DC and look at all of our homeless vets.

                            Some thanks they get from the Washington Bureaucrats.

                            Cheers,

                            Nick

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                            10 Replies

                            • 33%
                              WCFIELDS1 year, 2 months ago

                              After Viet Nam the Post Tramatic Stress Syndrome was quickly usurped by every needy feely group in the country. I expect that Paris Hilton will shortly be suffering from Post Tramatic Stress Syndrome.

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                                ciera-marie1 year, 2 months ago

                                Nick:

                                Thank you for your service.

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                                7 Replies

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                                mark-stevens1 year, 2 months ago

                                From those who care... I'm glad you made it back Nick! Half of the homeless are Nam vets. Twice as many Nam vets have commited suicide as were killed over there. Oh yeah everybody support the troops, get a bumper sticker.

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                              • 0%
                                Shirtless1 year, 2 months ago

                                Look at the bright side. Apparently, the Army is no longer following the General Patton approach to mental illness.

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                                1 Reply

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                                  ZippySpincycle1 year, 2 months ago

                                  well, that's only in theory, really.

                                  One of the most appalling aspects of the military's approach to service members' mental health is that, in far too many cases, when someone DOES seek mental health care for PTSD, their commanders frequently respond by punishing them or trying to force them out of the service altogether. National Public Radio's Daniel Zwerdling has done an outstanding series of reports on this situation, the latest of which is here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?st...

                                  Looks like the Pentagon has some schizoid tendencies of its own--they're hiring more mental health providers, but it certainly doesn't sound like they're getting the message down the chain of command. Plenty of traumatized soldiers getting slapped and called shirkers and sissies.

                                  Reply
                                • 13%
                                  Gotitright1 year, 2 months ago

                                  I can safely say that the vast majority of men and women that serve our country do not do so in order to become the poster victoms for liberals. They may need help, but they don't need your help and unlike you they love this country. This blog has more pitty for the scum we are fighting. We addressed Abu Garab and a long time ago you losers!

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                                  1 Reply

                                  • 40%
                                    WCFIELDS1 year, 2 months ago

                                    Are they still whining about "Abu Garab"?

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                                  • 0%
                                    hsaleem1 year, 2 months ago

                                    Finally there is something for the poor people fighting for nothing but Mr. B's oil companies.

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                                    • 43%
                                      OnlyTheTruth1 year, 2 months ago

                                      Now if the White House would just buy one!

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                                      1 Reply

                                      • 29%
                                        angry-ken1 year, 2 months ago

                                        Because they are crazy, right?

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                                      • 100%
                                        bubba21 year, 2 months ago

                                        "The number of (mental health workers) that was adequate for a peacetime military is not adequate for a nation that's been at war ..."

                                        Duh ... it only took them FOUR years to figure that out?

                                        The way our government is treating our veterans, the people who have risked their lives to serve this country - and especially in Iraq - is scandalous, immoral, and unconscionable.

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                                        • 100%
                                          Brimstone331 year, 2 months ago

                                          "At the time that the war began, I don't think anybody anticipated how long it would be going on,"

                                          You think she actually said that with a straight face?

                                          PTSD is becoming the Gulf War Syndrome of this decade. Not saying that it does not exist or that there are not soldiers who need help with it. I'm saying that there are a whole lot of guys who are gonna jump on this band wagon just cause they can. And clog up the system for those who do need treatment.

                                          "OF COURSE I have PTSD...I was in Operation Iraqi Freedom!!!"

                                          Eric Berne calls this game "Wooden Leg" in his classic "Games People Play".

                                          Reply
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