VA sec'y promises timely response to PTSD, depression

[babylonsister]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VETERANS_DAY_SHINSEKI?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

VA sec'y promises timely response to war illness


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Veterans Secretary Eric Shinseki says he's working to improve the agency's ability to cope with increasing numbers of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems.

Shinseki told CBS's "The Early Show" Wednesday that increased troop rotations to war zones has caused a sharp rise in the number of men and women suffering from post traumatic stress (PTSD) and depression. He said, "The more people go back, it multiplies the incidences of these kinds of things occurring."

Shinseki, a retired general and former Army chief of staff, said "we are working diligently at increasing our capabilities here" and said the Department of Veterans Affairs now has some 19,000 mental health professionals on the job.

[lazer47]

1. Yea!! they have been "diligently working" on PTSD since it

became a real diagnosis in '86,, as a Vietnam Vet,,I can only with a heavy heart, call their statements BULLSHIT

[elleng]

2. All 19,000 of them.

[babylonsister]

5. You'd be wrong. I just googled Shinseki and PTSD; there is

lots of info showing he is working towards helping vets. This is a man who served his country well, was injured in VN, and seems to have the troops' best interests at heart. I'm sorry you're so negative about that, but I think he's perfect for this job and is trying to improve the lot of injured vets.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=shinseki+ptsd&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&oq=shinseki+ptsd&fp=74f5ed7994d722e7

[lazer47]

6. Sis, I hope you are right, I have been diagnosed with PTSD since

'89, I have seen these VA Secretary's come and go, I have seen a lot of my friends die in the mean time, I think all of them started out with honest intentions, however the VA system is so stagnant that it will take time beyond my death or generation to fix it. After 20 something yrs of messing with this system one can become quite negative, having said that I still have hopes for the good General, and wish him the best of luck fixing it....

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. in fact, they have a 5 yr study in place to see what response might work

[lazer47]

4. Would that be the study where they wait and see how many Vets commit suicide ?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. I do believe that's the baseline they are looking at.

[lonestarnot]

7. The General is a good man.

:patriot:

[Forkboy]

9. K&R

:kick: