The Chimperator is always claiming that he "supports the troops." In reality, that claims is just as false as just about anything else that comes out of the Chimperator's mouth. But if supporting the troops includes adequate body armor, equipment, limits to re-deployments, or mental health care for troops returning from the Hell in Iraq that Chimpy has created, then he's missing in action. The Chimperator is good for sound bites and slogans, but he is otherwise worthless. He continues to make me feel shame at being an American. A new story from Bloomberg.com suggests that the number of Iraq veteran suicides may exceed the number of troops killed in action. Here are some story highlights:
*
May 5 (Bloomberg) -- The number of suicides among veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may exceed the combat death toll because of inadequate mental health care, the U.S. Gvernment's top psychiatric researcher said. Community mental health centers, hobbled by financial limits, haven't provided enough scientifically sound care, especially in rural areas, said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. . . . Based on those figures and established suicide rates for similar patients who commonly develop substance abuse and other complications of post-traumatic stress disorder, ``it's quite possible that the suicides and psychiatric mortality of this war could trump the combat deaths,'' Insel said. The Pentagon didn't dispute Insel's remark.
*
The psychiatric association reported last week that a survey of 191 military members and their spouses found 32 percent said their duty hurt their mental health, and six in 10 believed seeking treatment would damage their careers.
No comments:
Post a Comment