The Very Definition of Unprofessional
Bemember “Do no harm”?
For a health professional of any grade, sort, style, level or flavor to release information about a patient or client which would cause harm to that person is the basest grossest betrayal of professional ethics.
I find it extremely difficult to imagine how General Arthur could not have imagined how the MSM would cherry-pick and spin this study to put those currently on active duty in exactly the same place as those returning from duty in Viet Nam.
For his superiors to allow him to release it, for his subordinates to fail to speak out against releasing it, for Defense Secretary Robert Gates not to have stopped it is, IMO, flat out dereliction of duty.
Defense Department’s Task Force on Mental Health chaired by Navy Surgeon General Donald Arthur said ...38 percent of soldiers and 31 percent of Marines report psychological concerns such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from deployment.
Whether this rendition is feigned ignorance or genuine makes no difference: ignorance it is. Traumatic brain injury is not a psychological concern. It is a physical injury in the same way a bruised spleen is a physical injury, and is a function of vastly improved field medical capabilities and armoring. In previous combat situations, those injured in this way would be simply KIA.
Post-traumatic stress rates I would put at 100%. What the term “post-traumatic stress” describes is too many big things happening without sufficient time or space to process them. Big thing after big thing after big thing happens without time to sit down and think them through and come to terms with them and with oneself. Simple as that; like a mental/emotional traffic jam.
PTSD is experienced by tornado and flood victims, by people who’ve been in a bad accident and by people in abusive relationships as well as by folks who’ve experienced combat. Most folks—given time and cessation of the trauma—wander through it on their own. Some folks need lots of time—others do not. Some folks benefit from support by others who’ve been through a similar situation. The major thing is to face it, address it and allow sufficient time and space for the person to go through their own process of coming to terms with the Big Things that have happened to and around them.
The most harmful thing is to pathologize it—make like it’s an illness or that the person is having “mental problems.” Everybody alive has experienced post-traumatic stress to a greater or lesser degree: think back on those times when it seemed all hell was breaking loose and just wouldn’t stop and all you wanted was to crawl under the covers or jump on a plane to Fiji. That’s a sign that things are getting backed up and ya need time to process it all; but this is the real world and we don’t always have the time at the time. So we develop ways of coping with it all until the furor dies down and we can take the time to do what we need to do. The “stuck” part comes if someone doesn’t take that time to process but tries to keep using only those tricks of temporary coping, instead. Mourning sucks. Adjusting is damned hard. The desire not to do the hard work is understandable; as is the fact that it’s a bad idea not to do the work.
Unfortunately, this particular diagnosis—this name and way of looking at something that’s been around as long as humans have—was brand new in the ‘70s, and it was appropriated by the sticky fingers of those who were “against the war” and used to demonize the troops. The same thing is happening now.
For the military brass to participate in it is unconscionable.
It cited a significant stigma in which soldiers believe they would be ridiculed or their careers damaged if they were to acknowledge having problems.
That level of stupid only adds insult to injury.
You can see the result here.
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