General Bucks Silence on Mental Health

[unhappycamper]

General Bucks Silence on Mental Health
November 08, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - It takes a brave soldier to do what Army Maj. Gen. David Blackledge did in Iraq. It takes as much bravery to do what he did when he got home.

Blackledge got psychiatric counseling to deal with wartime trauma, and now he is defying the military's culture of silence on the subject of mental health problems and treatment.

"It's part of our profession ... nobody wants to admit that they've got a weakness in this area," Blackledge said of mental health problems among troops returning from America's two wars.

"I have dealt with it. I'm dealing with it now," said Blackledge, who came home with post-traumatic stress. "We need to be able to talk about it."

As the nation marks another Veterans Day, thousands of troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with anxiety, depression and other emotional problems.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/general-bucks-silence-on-mental-health.html

[JohnnyLib2]

1. That is heartening, and certainly brave of him.

It's probably the only way that change on that issue/culture will change, too. Kudos to the general.

K & R

[Lancer]

2. Good for him.

Mental health disorders and illness have long been met with silence and stigma everywhere, and maybe most especially in the military. It seems to be conventional wisdom that millions of vets came home from WWII never to speak in any depth with their families or friends about what they witnessed and endured. People at home thought them brave and heroic, which of course they were, but I wonder how many of them fought desperate private struggles to keep mind and body together. I wonder how many sought psychiatric care? My guess is a precious few.

The stigma of course is lessening, and Maj. Gen. Blackledge is doing absolutely the right thing by speaking up. I know that took no small amount of courage.

[TahitiNut]

3. 300,000 reporting PTSD ... less than half got counseling

:grr: