Pre and post deployment support

[Rex Brynen]

"Experts" and the therapeutic culture are a curse on our society that is universal, not just within the military. I think it is only to be expected - we are a crazy society that is working furiously cut itself loose from every last mooring in traditional culture, for the sake of "progress", including all those means that human cultures and societies have developed over the millenia to cope with the vicissitudes of life. These experts and their schemes are the result of trying to replace the natural with the unnatural product of ideologies. The society no longer has deep cultural and spiritual resources to fall back on, and thus no longer understands what you've gone through - no longer understands, really, the human condition - and won't admit and can't imagine that anyone else can, thus you and your comrades are subject to this mad, clueless flailing by mental health professionals, grief counselors, and the rest of the lot. It will only get worse. This is the terminus of a highly abstract culture - it can no longer not only tell truth from falsehood, it no longer even has the vocabulary for it.

Having seen a great many people whose lives have been transformed for the better (and, for that matter, lives have been saved) by dedicated mental health professionals, I have to say this picture bears absolutely no resemblance to the society I know.

I don't think that slagging off mental health workers en masse is either appropriate or very useful.

Having said that, I'll leave it there. I don't that SWJ is a particularly appropriate place to fight out culture wars.

[120mm]

Having seen a great many people whose lives have been transformed for the better (and, for that matter, lives have been saved) by dedicated mental health professionals, I have to say this picture bears absolutely no resemblance to the society I know.

I don't think that slagging off mental health workers en masse is either appropriate or very useful.

Having said that, I'll leave it there. I don't that SWJ is a particularly appropriate place to fight out culture wars.

I disagree. Addiction to mental health treatments is a real and common malady, which has the additional by-product of providing job security to the same mental health professionals.

I don't see a whole bunch of people who outgrow their therapist. I HAVE encountered some very effective mental health professionals, who are able to help someone "get off their top dead center" and then help themselves "get right". But they are in the minority, in my experience.

[Rex Brynen]

I disagree. Addiction to mental health treatments is a real and common malady, which has the additional by-product of providing job security to the same mental health professionals.

I don't see a whole bunch of people who outgrow their therapist.

I do, all the time. I don't work in the military--I teach--but I often have students coming back to me years after they were encouraged to seek help (for depression, addictions, SIs, EDs, the after-effects of sexual assault, and suicidal feelings) to say how support, counseling, and intervention at the right time changed their lives for the better.

A lot of them tell me they're afraid to tell their family. Afraid they'll look weak. Afraid they won't understand. Afraid they'll be blamed. Frankly, if their parents have attitudes similar to some of those expressed in this thread, I can see why.

At the moment, I'm worried that someone in the military who would benefit from help, will read this thread and not ask for it for fear that asking for help is somehow not "manly" or "warrior" enough to retain the respect of his (or her) peers. That would be a tragedy.

[jkm_101_fso]

I think this is pretty simple.

The military is required to provide help to those that need it and even those that think they need it and actually may not. So, they have to screen everyone. Not to do so would be negligent. That is what the health professionals are for. They can determine if a soldier doesn't actually require help.

Remember, though, if said professional ends up being wrong, the results could be catastrophic. Naturally, some will inevitably slip through the cracks that don't have a damn thing wrong with them. There are worse things in life.

If you don't need help, don't ask for it; too easy.

Of all the post-deployment mental health screenings I've had to sit through, I think they took up a combined 30 minutes of my time.

The Army has wasted a lot more of my time for much more ridiculous things.

[120mm]

I think this is pretty simple.

The military is required to provide help to those that need it and even those that think they need it and actually may not. So, they have to screen everyone. Not to do so would be negligent. That is what the health professionals are for. They can determine if a soldier doesn't actually require help.

Remember, though, if said professional ends up being wrong, the results could be catastrophic. Naturally, some will inevitably slip through the cracks that don't have a damn thing wrong with them. There are worse things in life.

If you don't need help, don't ask for it; too easy.

Of all the post-deployment mental health screenings I've had to sit through, I think they took up a combined 30 minutes of my time.

The Army has wasted a lot more of my time for much more ridiculous things.

What's worse in life than being thrown out of the military because you are a head case?

I've seen plenty of examples where a man was ruined because the "system" was wrong in the opposite direction. One man I worked with, admitted to having suicidal thoughts several years before, and he was treated like crap and eventually bullied out of the army by those holy and sacred "mental health professionals". The guy next to me in my workspace is on the way to being branded as a PTSD victim and psych case, because he won't "play along" with the PTSD bull#### that the counselor has labelled him with. And this guy never left a FOB, but refuses to "admit" he has PTSD, and the scum-sucking POS mental health professional says this proves he's in "denial". It's like the Spanish Inquisition all over again.

Right now, I am filling out my annual PHA, where, if I were to fill it out without lying my ass off, I'd be kicked out of the army and categorized into some nice psychological "box". I have paused at the question that asks if I've ever has psych eval or counselling. Now, this survey will be seen by every PAC clerk and interested person who has access to my records for the rest of the time I'm in the army, and long after. But the mental health "professionals" are so wrapped up in their little technical worlds, that they don't understand this, and don't care as long as they get their power-game and paycheck.

So, I am forced to abandon my honor and lie in order to be able to continue to serve. But folks like Reed don't give a crap about honor (he said so, himself) and care not a whit how much that costs me and folks like me. Thanks for your help, idiots.... Again, those of us who are warriors, and aren't into the military as a form of social welfare aren't in it for our health.

[120mm]

One more thing. Who are the morons who design the medical questionnaire forms?

I admit to one TBI, non-service related. I am required to fill out a TBI questionnaire because of this. The TBI questionnaire only applies to DEPLOYMENT-RELATED TBI. I MUST fill out the TBI questionnaire, but cannot because none of the questions apply to me.

This is typical poo-flinging monkey medical service bull####. And we want to give these guys more power.... why?

[120mm]

What I would like to see, is a study where groups are given variable amounts of pre- and post- deployment PTSD counselling, and then studied for the incidence and seriousness of PTSD. I'm wondering to what extent "suggestibility" plays in the formation of PTSD.

There were similar studies in WWII, but I'm wondering if they would be deemed ethical, today.

Just in case anyone is interested, I had to argue with the doc to pass my PHA, because my vitals are too low. RHR of 39, BP of 108 over 60 and body temp of 97 degrees. All of which are normal for me, when I'm in shape. One more gripe to add to my laundry list about the medical profession and the lack of actual "thought" that goes through docs' heads. Evidently "normal" once arbitrarily defined by the quacks becomes a graven in stone "fact". Damned near got sent to the Emergency room "just in case".

Evidently you aren't allowed to be in great shape in some "systems." Also, the doc vapor-locked over the TBI questionnaire, just like I thought. If you answer "yes" to the TBI question, you must fill out the questionnaire, which you cannot fill out if your TBI wasn't combat-related.