Deployed military need tailored mental health care

Utah professor: Deployed military need tailored mental health care
By Matt Canham
The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 2 hours ago
Washington

A University of Utah academic implored members of Congress to rethink a defense policy that relies on deploying the same men and women into war zones over and over again.

It’s "a near guarantee" that a soldier who experiences repeat combat will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and many will at least attempt to kill themselves.

David Rudd, the scientific director for the U.’s National Center for Veterans Studies, presented the results of his recent study on Tuesday to a trio of lawmakers and about 15 congressional staffers at a meeting of two House caucuses that support veterans.

He attributed at least part of the troubling spike in military suicides to the repeat deployments that have become the hallmark of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I think we have the best, most superior, professional military in the world," said Rudd, a former Army psychologist, "but the question is how much can one individual take over the course of 10 years? How many times can you be expected to go back into combat and be expected to deal with that?"

He surveyed 244 veterans who experienced heavy combat and found that 93 percent qualified for a PTSD diagnosis and 70 percent had attempted suicide.
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