US Veterans Job Re-Entry Blog by John Scudi
The Good News about our combat wounded and the mental welfare of our gallant troops is in the news !
The most difficult combat health problem is finally being discussed and addressed. Psychological wounds have come a long way from the days of the ‘shell shocked’ soldier of WW I, the Gen. Patton “glove slap” of a shocked trooper in WW II, and the emotional damage to our Viet Nam shipmates. The stigma from seeking help is gone!
Mental health has finally reached the light of day in the news media. It is acceptable to discuss and even think about building metrics to improve diagnosis. Even more effective military mental health care is on the way !
The leadership of the Navy and Marine Corps are openly and intellectually discussing this most import aspect of our sailors and Marines wellness. The Naval Institute Proceedings is the professional journal of the sea services. This month an article in the Proceedings draws the attention of Flag and General Officers, and junior officers alike, to the challenge of mental health for those in Command. Good Show !!
USA TODAY in the March 7-9 2008 weekend addition published a super article by Gregg Zoroya reporting the awareness and progress of military medical thinking for all the public to see. GOOD SHOW! Great article, thank you USA TODAY. This press helps drive our national consciousness to capitalize on this awaking of mental health, sleep apnea and their relation to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Bottom Line
This BLOG seeks to call for our health care professionals to ask their best minds to identify the 18 to 20 bodily indicators that might be monitored to expand the diagnosis and prediction of sleep disorders and PTSD.
This BLOG is a call to our information systems & radio frequency engineers as well as to our device designers to design and build a wearable device to simplify the evaluation of our returning troops. Our young defenders deploying on their 2nd, 3rd, and even their 4th deployments to the danger zone deserve a non invasive mental wellness check !
The most difficult combat health problem is finally being discussed and addressed. Psychological wounds have come a long way from the days of the ‘shell shocked’ soldier of WW I, the Gen. Patton “glove slap” of a shocked trooper in WW II, and the emotional damage to our Viet Nam shipmates. The stigma from seeking help is gone!
Mental health has finally reached the light of day in the news media. It is acceptable to discuss and even think about building metrics to improve diagnosis. Even more effective military mental health care is on the way !
The leadership of the Navy and Marine Corps are openly and intellectually discussing this most import aspect of our sailors and Marines wellness. The Naval Institute Proceedings is the professional journal of the sea services. This month an article in the Proceedings draws the attention of Flag and General Officers, and junior officers alike, to the challenge of mental health for those in Command. Good Show !!
USA TODAY in the March 7-9 2008 weekend addition published a super article by Gregg Zoroya reporting the awareness and progress of military medical thinking for all the public to see. GOOD SHOW! Great article, thank you USA TODAY. This press helps drive our national consciousness to capitalize on this awaking of mental health, sleep apnea and their relation to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Bottom Line
This BLOG seeks to call for our health care professionals to ask their best minds to identify the 18 to 20 bodily indicators that might be monitored to expand the diagnosis and prediction of sleep disorders and PTSD.
This BLOG is a call to our information systems & radio frequency engineers as well as to our device designers to design and build a wearable device to simplify the evaluation of our returning troops. Our young defenders deploying on their 2nd, 3rd, and even their 4th deployments to the danger zone deserve a non invasive mental wellness check !
Labels: john scudi, us veterans, us veterans jobs
posted by John Scudi at
02:46
11 Comments:
Let's discuss a Wounded Warrior update more routinely..
Interesting concept - wear around psycho-analyst. What does the 'non-invasive' reference mean? No invasive questions or what? I would be certainly curious to see what develops out of this concept.
Quite a change from the 're-socialization centers' of the Vietnam era.
There goes the war fighters excuse to get drunk and raise hell :)
It's great that there are resources being established to assist our heroes.
TBI / PTSD Center of Excellence established. Research programs have been funded ! Dole / Shalala directing the rationalization of DoD / VA roles and responsibilities. All Good News !!
--DoD wants troops with possible PTSD to seek treatment when they need it. It is a sign of strength, not one of weakness. Do not hesitate to step forward when it is appropriate to do so.
Most recent piblic statement that they really mean it ! --In this time of national challenge, it is even more important that we focus on the health of our people—mental as well as physical.
--We know from what you tell us that many are reluctant to seek treatment for mental health issues for fear it will jeopardize their positions, or their security clearances.
--We want you to know that's NOT true. The Secretary of Defense has just announced a change in the security clearance procedures for the entire federal government.
--It used to be that we asked whether you sought mental health treatment (Question 21 of the security clearance form).
--After reviewing the history of how this response is actually used, we realized that most mental health treatment does not involve issues that need to be part of a security clearance review.
--Therefore, effective immediately, you should NOT answer yes to Question 21 if counseling was for marital, family, or grief issues; or related to adjustment from service in a military combat environment (unless ordered by a court, or involving violence by you).
You heard it here first !!
1. Military Stressing Veterans' Counseling
(Washington Post)....Ann Scott Tyson
Applicants for government security clearances will no longer have to declare whether they sought mental health
counseling after serving in combat zones, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced yesterday.
2. Psych Care Is No Bar To Security Clearance
(Miami Herald)....Nancy A. Youssef
...''Infamous Question 21,'' as Gates described it, asked applicants whether they have consulted a mental health
professional in the past seven years for issues other than marital problems or grief. If the soldier answered yes, it
required spelling out details of treatment, leading to further scrutiny.
3. Gates Acknowledges Mistakes In Treatment Of Troops
(New York Times on the Web)....Reuters
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday said the military had made mistakes in treating returning combat
troops including in their physical and mental health care and by providing some sub-standard housing.
4. Gates: Counseling Not An Issue For Clearances
(Mideast Stars and Stripes)....Lisa Burgess
...Gates took up the issue after the Army inspector general concluded in February 2007 that soldiers were not seeking
help in part because they were worried it would endanger their security clearance and perhaps their career.
5. Secretary Of Defense Robert Gates Hails Bliss Center
(El Paso Times)....Chris Roberts
Bracing against a blasting wind that reminded him of his native Kansas, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
spent a day at Fort Bliss touring a mental health center, watching a demonstration of the Army's newest technology,
and meeting with soldiers and community leaders.
Anything that can be done to eliminate the stigma that was attached to those of us who served in Vietnam is welcome. The press and Hollywood were so severe in their misguided treatment of Vietnam veterans that many in the general public thought we were all powder kegs ready to explode. Recent poorly researched articles in the New York Times have attempted to label Iraq and Afghanistan veterans the same. It would be a travesty to permit this to happen to the extent that it did following Vietnam.
Additionally, in my opinion, almost all of those who return from war have grown and matured and developed a permanent appreciation for what matters in life. They carry themselves with greater confidence and pride. A few are affected adversely and need help. A few others are susceptible to suggestions that something might be wrong with them. A system that can distinguish one from the other, acting as a "PTSD detector" to enable those who wonder how much they're affected to breathe a sigh of relief, as well as to enable those who truly need help to get it, would be a great asset.
As with all such things, the technology must work, and the agendas of those wielding it must be pure.
Well said Micro.
Some of this PTSD concern should be directed to Vietnam vets as well. The govt was concerned back then that some warriors enjoyed their work a bit too much so they set up 'resocialization centers' to determine if some vets could go back into society. I have heard via the grapevine that some vets are still being held. This may be a first item to check out. Could be urban myth as well.
The DoD needs to really do something about it while they are studying it...a TBI COE is great however DoD and VA need to go beyond studies.
Recommend you read the article on line,, 'The Human Psyche Can Only Take So Much'
(Chicago Tribune)....Kirsten Scharnberg
Longer deployments taking toll on soldiers as combat stress, suicides, depression and family pressures soar.
Purple Hearts Pondered For Stress Disorder
[UPI.com, May 5, 2008]
DoD Secretary Robert Gates is considering awarding Purple Hearts to soldiers afflicted with stress disorders.
A Breath Of Hope
Walter Reed Tries Yoga to Counter PTSD
[Washington Post, May 6, 2008, Pg. F1]
Some 20 percent of approximately 1.6 million U.S. military personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Yoga instructors at Walter Reed are trying to train them how to relieve their stress by using guided meditation.
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