The Long War and Parental Combat Deployment: Effects on Military Children and At-Home Spouses
The Long War and Parental Combat Deployment: Effects on Military Children and At-Home Spouses, April 2010, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 49, Issue 4, Pages 310-320
Findings indicate that parental combat deployment has a cumulative effect on children that remains even after the deployed parent returns home, and that is predicted by psychological distress of both the AD and AHC parent. Such data may be informative for screening, prevention, and intervention strategies.
http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567(10)00077-8/abstract
Mental care stays are up in military
Mental care stays are up in military, 14 May 2010, USA TODAY
By Gregg Zoroya
WASHINGTON — Mental health disorders caused more hospitalizations among U.S. troops in 2009 than any other reason according to medical data released recently by the Pentagon. This historic high reflects the growing toll of nearly nine years of war.
Last year was the first in which hospitalizations for mental disorders outpaced those for injuries or pregnancies in the 15 years of tracking by the Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Monthly report.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2010-05-14-mental-health_N.htm
U.S. Rep. Rush Holt introduces military suicide prevention bill named for N.J. soldier
U.S. Rep. Rush Holt introduces military suicide prevention bill named for N.J. soldier, 06 May 2010, The Star-Ledger
By Mark Mueller (New Jersey)
WASHINGTON — Citing a critical gap in the military’s suicide prevention efforts, Rep. Rush Holt has introduced a measure named for a New Jersey soldier who took his own life after serving two tours of duty in Iraq.
The proposed legislation — named for Army Sgt. Coleman Bean, an East Brunswick native who lived in South River at the time of his death — targets the tens of thousands of service members who make up the Individual Ready Reserve. Those members have fulfilled their active-duty commitments and have returned to civilian life but remain available for call-up.
Cut off from their units — along with support services and mental health screening and counseling — members of the IRR cope in isolation with the things they have seen and done in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In most cases, the military has little or no contact with those service members unless they are called back into service.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/us_rep_rush_holt_introduces_mi.html
TBI vets face delays, poor access to care
TBI vets face delays, poor access to care, 06 May 2010, Army Times
By Kelly Kennedy – Staff writer
Last month, a 24-year-old veteran received his first treatment for trauamtic brain injury from the Veterans Affairs Department — more than a year after he was discharged from the Marine Corps.
“The hand-off from [the Defense Department] to VA was very slow,” Jonathan Barrs told the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on Wednesday. “So far, the VA care has been good, but this whole time of waiting was very hard, and I had to keep asking my primary care doctor for a consult, which took a very long time.”
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/military_traumatic_braininjury_050610w/
Lawmakers push mental health care for IRR
Lawmakers push mental health care for IRR, 06 May 2010, Army Times
By Rick Maze – Staff writer
A group of House lawmakers is renewing an effort to give inactive reservists who have had at least one deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan special access to mental health services.
About 11,000 Individual Ready Reserve members and Individual Mobilization Augmentees would be affected. Because they are not members of active or reserve units, they do not have the same access to mental health and suicide prevention programs as other combat veterans, which is why the lawmakers, led by Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., is pushing to expand the reach of military help.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/05/military_IRR_mentalhealth_050610w/
Obama Signs Bill Boosting Support for Female Veterans
Obama Signs Bill Boosting Support for Female Veterans, 06 May 2010, Time
“Our obligations to our troops don’t end on the battlefield,” Obama said at the signing in the State Dining Room at the White House. “Just as we have a responsibility to train and equip them when we send them into harm’s way, we have a responsibility to take care of them when they come home.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100506/us_time/08599198731500
Revolving door of multiple tours linked to PTSD
Revolving door of multiple tours linked to PTSD, 11 Apr 2010, AP National Writer
Sharon Cohen
It wasn’t his first tour in Iraq, but his second and third when Joe Callan began wondering how long his luck would last? How many more months he could swerve around bombs buried in the dirt and duck mortars raining from the skies.
