mental health

Shock Therapy Buzzes On

Aug 7, 2008
Tens of thousands of the desperately depressed sign up every year in the U.S. to have electricity-induced grand mal seizures even though nobody has ever figured out why the treatment works or how severe the associated brain damage is. The good news: You no longer have to be awake, and muscle relaxants now keep your bones from breaking.
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Army (Finally) Hires More Shrinks

Jun 15, 2007
The Army plans to hire roughly 200 additional mental health workers to help care for ailing soldiers. Thirty-five percent of troops seek mental health care a year after coming home and between 15 and 20 percent of soldiers in Iraq show signs of post-traumatic stress. The latest Pentagon study found military mental health care to be inadequate.

Veterans Face High Suicide Risk

Jun 12, 2007
A new study of American veterans who served between 1917 and 1994 found that returning soldiers are more than twice as likely to kill themselves, compared to civilians. While the research did not include veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the overall trend and reports of poor mental health care are cause for concern.

Casualties From the Battle Over PTSD

Feb 17, 2007
Pvt. Jacob Burgoyne was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and ordered to a psychiatric facility, but the Army sent him home instead. Shortly thereafter, Burgoyne stabbed a fellow soldier 32 times and set his body aflame because, he said, "that's how we disposed of bodies in Iraq."