Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Military)

If you are in the military, you may have seen combat. You may have been on missions that exposed you to horrible and life-threatening experiences. You may have been shot at, seen a buddy shot, or seen death. These are types of events that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Other things about a combat situation can add more stress to an already stressful situation and may contribute to PTSD and other mental health problems. These things include what you do in the war, the politics around the war, where it's fought, and the type of enemy you face.

Another cause of PTSD in the military can be military sexual trauma (MST). This is any sexual harassment or sexual assault that occurs while you are in the military. MST can happen to men and women and can occur during peacetime, training, or war.

Getting treatment

Many veterans don't seek treatment for PTSD. You may feel that treatment won't help, or worry about what people will think. Your military background may add other pressures that keep you from seeking treatment. You may feel that it will hurt your career, or that those in your unit will lose faith in you. You may fear that your unit will see you as weak.

Military Mental Health problems

Mental problems send more men in the U.S. military to the hospital than any other cause, according to a new Pentagon report.

And they are the second highest reason for hospitalization of women military personnel, behind conditions related to pregnancy.

The Defense Department's Medical Surveillance report from November examines "a large, widespread, and growing mental health problem among U.S. military members."

The 31-page report says mental disorders are a problem for the entire U.S. population, but that sharp increases for active duty military reflect the psychological toll of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Most notably in this regard, the rate of incident diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increased nearly six-fold from 2003 to 2008," the report says.

And new outreach and screening, as well as the military's efforts to reduce the stigma attached to seeking treatment also contributed to higher numbers, according to the report.

The Army was hit hardest by the most common and long-lasting problems -- post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol dependence and substance dependence, according to the report.

"The Army was relatively most affected (based on lost duty time) by mental disorder-related hospitalizations overall; and in 2009, the loss of manpower to the Army was more than twice that to the Marine Corps and more than three times that to the other Services," the report says.

"The Army has had many more deployers to Afghanistan and Iraq and many more combat-specific casualties; it is not surprising, therefore, that the Army has endured more mental disorder-related casualties and larger manpower losses than the other services."

While most new diagnoses of mental illness were in the Army, the fewest were in the Air Force.

"The only exceptions to this observation were in 2007, 2008, and the first two quarters of 2010 when the incidence rates of new diagnoses of alcohol dependence in the Marine Corps were the highest of all the Services," the report said.

But overall, the Marines were found to have fewer overall mental problems than the Army, Air Force and Navy with 4.3 percent of Marines versus 6.4-percent of the overall pool of active duty military.

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-09/us/military.mental.problems_1_mental-health-mental-problems-post-traumatic-stress-disorder?_s=PM:US

Obama's military problem is getting worse

The Military is going down, but Obama is trying to make it less than what it seems by presiding over a slow motion crash. The crash has not yet happened and is avoidable, but it also foreseeable. Of concern, the latest reports out of the White House suggest that Obama's team is not yet fully aware of the dangers. If it happens, it will be a problem entirely of Obama's own making and it could have a lasting impact on the way his administration unfolds. President Obama rarely misses a chance to blame a challenge he is confronting on his predecessor. This rhetorical tic served Obama well during the campaign and probably still resonates with partisans who post anonymous comments on blogs or who suffer from chronic Bush Derangement Syndrome. Shortly after the roll-out, President Obama and his key White House team take their collective eye off the ball and are largely uninvolved in the firing of General McKiernan and the hiring of General McChrystal. Indeed, President Obama has only one substantive interaction with the battlefield commander of his most important "war of necessity" for the next four months.A pivot to East Asia brings America back to its strategic roots of protecting the world’s oceans, airspace, and outer space – the global commons.  This mission is heavily dependent on machines such as aircraft carriers, stealth fighter jets, and satellites. It is less dependent on soldiers manning a distant battlefield.  Now, since machines – aka “platforms” – are super-expensive (e.g., billions for a single carrier), this shift will accelerate the already significant embrace of cheaper unmanned vehicles – drones that patrol the skies and seas, thus ensuring humans see even less of each other.

Soilders gone AWOL

Definition

• A soldier from the United States, United Kingdom or Canada is qualified as AWOL, or absence without leave, when he abandons or is otherwise not present at his post and did not receive the appropriate permission needed to abandon that post. Though this definition is broad, it is mitigated by a few specifics. The soldier must intentionally abandon his post, abandon it because he is trying to avoid a task that may be considered dangerous, or have enlisted in another unit or branch of the military without a formal discharge from his current unit.

Technicalities

• Though the broad definition of AWOL covers most cases, a soldier is generally considered AWOL anytime he is not where he is supposed to be. In this sense, however, the term AWOL is not so much conveying a serious crime as a soldier's status. A soldier who misses a medical appointment, is late for duty or is a no-show for a physical fitness test can be considered AWOL, meaning that he is supposed to be somewhere, does not have permission to be absent, and has not left word of why he is not there.

AWOL vs. Desertion

• As mentioned above, AWOL can refer to anytime a soldier is not where he should be. This can be for a variety of reasons, ranging from forgetfulness to fear to the desire to no longer maintain his responsibilities at this point. Even though a soldier displaying these reasons can be said to have "deserted" his post, the difference between a charge of AWOL and one of desertion lies in intent. Someone guilty of being AWOL may not realize that he is not where he is supposed to be, or he may realize it but choose to remain absent anyway. That soldier may, however, not want to permanently relieve himself of his duties, and may fully intend on returning to his post or serving out his term at another time or through other means. Someone who has deserted his post, however, is said to have intentionally abandoned it permanently, with no desire to return to his duties or the military.

Read more (source): http://www.ehow.com/about_4810533_awol-soldiers.html