Salon expose on Army mental health care

Salon led the way in exposing bad conditions at Walter Reed, and now it turns its investigative gaze on the suicide rate in the U.S. Army in Death in the USA: The Army's fatal neglect.  From the head note in the series:

Feb. 9, 2009 | FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Preventable suicides. Avoidable drug overdoses. Murders that never should have happened. Four years after Salon exposed medical neglect at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that ultimately grew into a national scandal, serious problems with the Army's healthcare system persist and the situation, at least at some Army posts, continues to deteriorate.

This story is no longer just about lack of medical care. It's far worse than sighting mold and mouse droppings in the barracks. Late last month the Army released data showing the highest suicide rate among soldiers in three decades. At least 128 soldiers committed suicide in 2008. Another 15 deaths are still under investigation as potential suicides. "Why do the numbers keep going up?" Army Secretary Pete Geren said at a Jan. 29 Pentagon news conference. "We can’t tell you." On Feb. 5, the Army announced it suspects 24 soldiers killed themselves last month, more than died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

But suicide is only one manifestation of the unaddressed madness and despair coming home with U.S. troops. Salon's close inspection of a rash of murders and suicides involving soldiers at just one base reveals that many of the deaths seem avoidable. Salon put together a sample of 25 suicides, prescription overdoses and murders among soldiers at Colorado's Fort Carson since 2004. Intensive study of 10 of those cases exposed a pattern of preventable deaths, meaning a suicide or murder might have been avoided if the Army had better handled the predictable, well-known symptoms of a malady rampant among combat veterans: combat-related stress and brain injuries. The results of Salon's investigation will be published in a weeklong series of articles that begins today with "The Death Dealers Took My Life!

 From that article:

The final page shows a mock Army document produced by an unknown person in Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team . . .  apparently to poke fun at troops who seek medical attention. Stacks of the "Hurt Feelings Report" were found near a sheet where soldiers sign out to see a doctor. "Reasons for filing this report: Please circle Yes or No," the Hurt Feelings Report directs. Options include: I am thin skinned; I am a pussy; I have woman-like hormones; I am a queer; I am a little bitch; I am a cry baby; I want my mommy; All of the above.

We guess we missed the part where we're told to torment the sick in that famous passage in Matthew. And we don't know where to begin with the stereotyped equating of mental illness with "weakness," and "weakness" with women and gay men. Honestly, we can only wonder what the heck, since it's Congress's intent (and one that knows no partisan boundaries whatsoever) to adequately treat military personnel's mental maladies and brain injuries.

As the bloggers say, go read the whole thing.

From Salon, an Army mother paints over her son's suicide note. After the failed suicide attempt, the Army threatened to press charges of defacing government property against the soldier. His mother was able to charges dropped when she offered to paint the walls.

Comments

[Bruce Adomeit]

Ollie Ox says: Nice try, but not cigar.If you read the story, Salon started with coverage four years before. See http://archive.salon.com/news/feature/2005/02/18/walter_reed/index.html

The Pulitzer committee is often generous to the Washington Post.

The commenter said:

While Salon is doing an admirable job on the military mental-health issue, "Salon led the way in exposing bad conditions at Walter Reed" isn't accurate. The 2008 Pulitzer Prize for public service was awarded "to the Washington Post for the work of Dana Priest, Anne Hull and photographer Michel du Cille in exposing mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, evoking a national outcry and producing reforms by federal officials." Salon followed the story closely, but Priest, Hull and Du Cille led the way.