New guidelines allow troops with traumatic stress

[spindrifter]

disorders to redeploy

By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, December 22, 2006



WASHINGTON — Troops with bipolar and psychotic disorders cannot deploy into Iraq or Afghanistan but those recovering from traumatic stress disorders still can, under new defense guidelines released this week.

Defense health officials said the new guidance is designed to clarify existing policy, not to replace any current practices dealing with deploying servicemembers with mental health issues.

<snip>

The new policy guidance states that any condition that “limits the physical or psychological ability of a servicemember” must be evaluated before troops are sent downrange, since it could hurt both them and the mission.

It specifically states that troops with psychotic or bipolar disorders, and those taking anti-psychotic or anti-convulsant drugs, should not be deployed. Troops who suffer from any mental disorder for more than a year should also be considered “unsuitable” for military duty.

<more>

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=42349

[Jackpine Radical]

1. This post provokes a number of thoughts on my part.

First--Why the hell would we have people with psychotic diagnoses on active duty? That's bizarre!

Second--Bipolar is often a "junk" diagnosis given to anyone with a highly labile mood pattern--a common characteristic of people who have been exposed to traumatic stress. The biggest problem with this misdiagnosis is that so-called "bipolar" cases are often treated with medications only, but in my experience they are often highly responsive to therapies like EMDR that don't use medications.

Third--PTSD is a specific collection of symptoms that many people get after exposure to extreme stress. It is given only if the symptoms are present some months after the traumatic stress. (It is thereby distinguished from acute traumeatic stress response). Many people who are exposed to severe stresses develop patterns of symptoms (generally anxiety symptoms but also dissociative symptoms, extreme irritability, etc.) that do not qualify for technical classification as PTSD. I suspect these people are falling through the cracks in the system.

[Karenina]

2. You! Soldier! Take 2 aspirin and call me...

after you've gone off the deep end.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Sounds like quite a lot of them ARE off the deep end.

Holy cow-psychotics on active duty?