Suicide of GI spotlights mental care issues

Suicide of GI spotlights mental care issues
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jan 15, 2009 11:22:21 EST

WASHINGTON — In 2005, an Army captain in Iraq asked for a mental health evaluation for one of his soldiers, a private first class from North Carolina who was known to put the muzzle of his weapon in his mouth.

The case was assigned to a psychologist who was unlicensed — a common practice in the early years of the war, when the Army rushed mental health counselors to the combat zone even if some weren’t certified or fully qualified.

The psychologist reported that a screening indicated the 20-year-old private, Jason Scheuerman, was “capable of claiming mental illness” to manipulate his superiors and did not have a mental disorder. Three weeks later, Scheuerman stepped into a barracks closet and shot himself to death. He had nailed a note to the closet that said, “Maybe finaly I can get some peace.”

His death, the subject of an internal Army investigation exposed to The Associated Press by his family, casts light on the armed forces’ reliance on unlicensed counselors before the Army policy was changed to exclude them in 2006.

At the time of Scheuerman’s suicide, unlicensed psychologists and other counselors were allowed to examine soldiers provided they were supervised by licensed professionals. The same rules are common in civilian evaluations.
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Still no safety net for soldiers

Military Mental Health Policies Examined
By JIM ABRAMS – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chris Scheuerman believes the military he served for 20 years failed his Army son Jason, who shot himself to death in his Iraq barracks almost three years ago.

Carefully choosing his words before a hushed congressional audience Friday, the father spoke of how the 20-year-old private's superiors largely ignored the soldier's signs of distress and his family's expressions of alarm in the days leading up to his suicide.

"I do not believe there is a safety net right now for those who fall through," Scheuerman, a veteran with service in Army medicine, told a House Armed Services subcommittee.

Scheuerman was one of several people who testified about their experiences with the military's mental health system. Military personnel, facing prolonged warfare and lengthy deployments, are under particular stress these days.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Richard Gutteridge, an Iraq war veteran treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, spoke of the military's prejudices toward service members with mental health problems. "PTSD sufferers are lepers without lesions," he said.

At the same time, Gutteridge and others cited improvements in the military's responses to the high levels of mental health problems and brain injuries among those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, and the surgeons general of the Army, Navy and Air Force also efforts to help address psychological issues. Steps include recruiting more mental health professionals, providing prompt care and extending outreach programs to military personnel and their families.

The military is "charging their battle buddies, enlisted leaders and their company commanders to identify people who are struggling," Casscells said. "Early detection is important."

Rep. Susan Davis, who heads the military personnel committee, urged further improvements.

Mental health "weighs heavily upon the readiness of our force, our ability to retain combat veterans and our obligation to care for those who volunteer to serve our nation," said Davis, D-Calif.