Battlemind study leaves too many questions

by
Chaplain Kathie

There has been something bothering me all week about the post I did on Battlemind. The word "reported" has been nagging at me. Given the fact suicides and attempted suicides have gone up, reports of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering in astronomical numbers, tells me that this program has not worked, but it's not just what I think. It's what they think that causes the concern.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Study finds ‘Battlemind’ is beneficial?
Among soldiers who returned from Iraq and participated in "Battlemind Training," fewer reported sleep problems, and there were less-severe post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, compared with soldiers who had received either no post-deployment mental health training or a briefing about stress, according to research psychologists with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

Battlemind begins by telling the troops they can toughen their minds to prepare for combat. This is the biggest problem of all because anything the instructor says after this point is pointless. Once this message is delivered the serviceman gets it into their brain conscience that if they end up having mental health problems after this, it's their fault because they were not tough enough to prepare their brain.

There are several questions that need to be asked if we are ever going to understand how the military can claim Battlemind is a success when all evidence points to it not working.


How many units use Battlemind?
What is the suicide rate of soldiers in each unit?
What is the attempted suicide rate each unit?
How many times are the soldiers interviewed?
Are they interviewed with questions that verify truthful answers? (In other words, trick questions that if they answer a question one way, they answer it another way later.)
Are they tested along with the interview? (This is important because of the stigma associated with PTSD and the reluctance to admit they have a problem.)
Does the military track these soldiers at regular intervals to see if PTSD symptoms present later? ( This is another important issue because many times PTSD symptoms do not surface right away, are mild or combat veterans are able to "stuff" the trauma until a secondary stressor hits and they go over the edge.)
Are families interviewed when the soldier comes home?
Are families interviewed at regular intervals after?
Are soldiers records tracked when problems arise with domestic violence, divorce, arrests, homelessness or a host of other issues PTSD is usually the root of?

This is just a start of questions that need to be answered to know if Battlemind really works or does more harm. The program itself has some good points but once the message of mental toughness is delivered, they are apt to take away it's their fault and deny they have a problem. Telling them they can train their brain adds to the stigma of being wounded.

There are two obvious results pointing to the need to toss Battlemind. One is the rise in suicides and attempted suicides. The other is the fact there are many other programs units are developing on their own. The Montana National Guard is using their own program and it has been so well produced that President Obama intends to take it national. If Battlemind worked, then there would have been no need for something else.

PTSD comes with a series of complexities. I would really like to know all these answers if I am ever going to change my mind about the usefulness of this especially when the BBC did a report with our troops in Afghanistan showing that there is 11 1/2 minutes of Battlemind training within two days of briefings they receive after they arrive in theater. Think of being exposed to all that is crammed into their brains in those two days and the tiny fraction of Battlemind begins with telling them if they don't toughen their brains, they'll end up with PTSD.
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"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington