Army Therapists Stretched Too Thin? Obviously!

They say they want to reduce the stigma of PTSD but they won't say they will change the way they hire and train people to treat PTSD the way the rest of the country is, by heading most of it off as soon as possible. They tell you that you have to be a certain age and have to enlist with two military operations going on, eliminating probably thousands of experts on PTSD. Even becoming a chaplain is close to impossible when they will not open doors to chaplains who are good enough for police and firefighters, but just not good enough to help fill the gaps to save the lives of the troops while they finally get up to speed on all of this. So much for planing. Reducing the stigma would have happened if they had put some of their focus on this a long time ago and removed any roadblocks standing in the way of them getting the care they needed as soon as they needed it.

Army Therapists Stretched Too Thin?
Military Hopes to Take Away Stigma of Seeking Therapy
By Don Teague


(CBS) Their mission was to help soldiers deal with the stress of war on the battlefield. Instead, they were attacked at home. Three Army therapists were killed, and six other members of a combat stress control team were wounded in last week's rampage on fort hood.

They were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. The team's critical mission is on hold for now.

"We're taking a hard look and making sure they have every thing they need and again they may be delayed in regard to additional personnel being brought in," said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone.

Special Section: Tragedy at Fort Hood

Eight years of war has taken its toll across the military. Some 300,000 service members, almost one out of every five who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, report symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Corporal Nathan Hewitt, an Iraq war veteran who was wounded in last week's attack, says his commanders encourage returning veterans to get help.

"They tell us soldiers all the time you know if you have problems like this, go see the psychiatrist, or go get some mental health," he said.

But experts say finding enough qualified counselors is a challenge. "It's the face to face counseling that's so important for preventing and treating PTSD," said former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. S. Ward Casscells.

The Army has just over 400 psychiatrists to treat nearly 550,000 active duty soldiers.
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