At Least 1 in 6 Soldiers Is Taking Psychiatric Drugs

[spooked]

I can't imagine the horrors that so many soldiers have witnessed in Bush's wars, but it looks like the nightmares and depression they caused are a windfall to the pharmaceutical industry.


http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/03/military_psychiatric_drugs_031710w/

Medicating the military

"Use of psychiatric drugs has spiked; concerns surface about suicide, other dangers...

At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drug.

And many troops are taking more than one kind, mixing several pills in daily “cocktails” — for example, an antidepressant with an antipsychotic to prevent nightmares, plus an anti-epileptic to reduce headaches — despite minimal clinical research testing such combinations."

"A Military Times investigation of electronic records obtained from the Defense Logistics Agency shows DLA spent $1.1 billion on common psychiatric and pain medications from 2001 to 2009. It also shows that use of psychiatric medications has increased dramatically — about 76 percent overall, with some drug types more than doubling — since the start of the current wars."

[Captain Hilts]

1. Kids - teenagers - in general are medicated. nt

[notesdev]

2. Psychiatrics is out of control

I think people would be shocked if they knew just how many CHILDREN are doped up with psych drugs on a daily basis. No surprise that the addictions they were TAUGHT to accept follow them into adult life.

Friend was relating to me yesterday how his uncle put all three of the uncle's kids on Paxil. At what point does someone say, hey, if all your kids have problems, maybe its YOU who needs the psychiatric treatment? But of course one patient is far less profitable than three, now isn't it?

[spooked]

3. yes exactly...

Imagine the MILLIONS being spent on psychiatric drugs, just by the military!

And yes, they're used FAR to much with children.

[notesdev]

4. And yet this practice is untouchable in the health care debate

as is the idea that maybe pouring HFCS into everything ain't such a great thing for long term health.

[midnight]

7. I agree.

[ensho]

11. kick

nt

[newfie11]

5. Being deployed to Iraq 5 times or more might be the cause!

And if that wasn't enough now they can go to Afghanistan just for good measure.
No wonder they need drugs. People can only take so much horror.

[midnight]

6. It makes you wonder how many of our military are subject matter for the

pharma industry? Money trumps peace becomes more obvious as each day passes.

[notesdev]

8. It's probably not that

this is reaping what we have sown by drugging children to control them. Now those children have grown into drug-dependent adults. The military got them in that condition, and there are probably way too many of them to reject them all and keep the ranks staffed.

[AwakeAtLast]

9. Read my journal

My estranged husband is getting off the meds his (VA) neurologist prescribed. He is starting to become the person I knew five years ago again. Don't know where we will go from here, but I am of the mindset that he has not been in his right mind since coming home from Iraq in 2006, although I think he tried desperately to keep that hidden. Do I kick him to the curb because he's messed up from deployment, especially if you still love the person? Such is my dilemma. <sigh>

[patrice]

10. I wonder what the prescribed and the un-prescribed rates are in the general population.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. Now, if only Repugs would follow suit.

But no, they think they don't need treatment.

[krabigirl]

13. so sad :( Honestly, I'd like to see the data on the general populace ro

I think it might be somewhat the same. I swear, they try to give you a pill for everything...

[Therellas]

14. unfortunately it was bad before we went to war.

they passed out antidepressants like candy during "peace time" in the army.
like candy.