Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
February 26, 2007
Pg. 8
Task force: Families vulnerable to war trauma
By Gregg Zoroya, USA Today
A task force of the nation's largest group of mental health professionals warns that the U.S. military is not fully addressing the needs of troops and family members traumatized by war.
In a report issued Sunday, the American Psychological Association task force said families are particularly at risk. It noted that 700,000 children have had a parent sent overseas since Sept. 11, 2001, and estimated that 2,733 children have lost a parent killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Many service personnel and their family members are going without mental health care because of the limited availability of such care and the barriers to accessing care," a news release accompanying the study said.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the study but defended its record of treating troops and their families. Spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said physical and mental health screenings before and after deployments have been provided to 1 million troops during the past six years, and mental health teams are sent into combat zones to monitor and assist servicemembers there. She said the military also has created several family support systems.
"No military in the history of the world has done more to identify, evaluate, prevent and treat the mental health needs and concerns of its personnel than the military services of the United States," Smith said.
Among the problems, according to the psychological task force:
*The Pentagon failed to implement the best mental health treatment programs across the military. Rather, plans varied by installation and included only a few that were deemed high quality.
*The military hasn't hired enough psychologists. The study notes a 22% decline in the number of uniformed clinical psychologists in the military and a 40% vacancy among licensed clinical psychologist positions in the Army and Navy.
*Not enough research has been done on the war's impact on military spouses and children. "Given that our country has been at war for nearly six years, the absence of systematic research … is striking," the study said.
Psychologist Ron Palomares, who headed the task force, said the problems the report identified "kind of crept up on us."
February 26, 2007
Pg. 8
Task force: Families vulnerable to war trauma
By Gregg Zoroya, USA Today
A task force of the nation's largest group of mental health professionals warns that the U.S. military is not fully addressing the needs of troops and family members traumatized by war.
In a report issued Sunday, the American Psychological Association task force said families are particularly at risk. It noted that 700,000 children have had a parent sent overseas since Sept. 11, 2001, and estimated that 2,733 children have lost a parent killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Many service personnel and their family members are going without mental health care because of the limited availability of such care and the barriers to accessing care," a news release accompanying the study said.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the study but defended its record of treating troops and their families. Spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said physical and mental health screenings before and after deployments have been provided to 1 million troops during the past six years, and mental health teams are sent into combat zones to monitor and assist servicemembers there. She said the military also has created several family support systems.
"No military in the history of the world has done more to identify, evaluate, prevent and treat the mental health needs and concerns of its personnel than the military services of the United States," Smith said.
Among the problems, according to the psychological task force:
*The Pentagon failed to implement the best mental health treatment programs across the military. Rather, plans varied by installation and included only a few that were deemed high quality.
*The military hasn't hired enough psychologists. The study notes a 22% decline in the number of uniformed clinical psychologists in the military and a 40% vacancy among licensed clinical psychologist positions in the Army and Navy.
*Not enough research has been done on the war's impact on military spouses and children. "Given that our country has been at war for nearly six years, the absence of systematic research … is striking," the study said.
Psychologist Ron Palomares, who headed the task force, said the problems the report identified "kind of crept up on us."