Doctors Alarmed by Military’s Use of Mind Drugs on Troops

[The Straight Story]

Doctors Alarmed by Military’s Use of Mind Drugs on Troops

Medical professionals have expressed serious concerns about the U.S. military’s dispensing of antipsychotic drugs to combat soldiers and other personnel.

The U.S. Central Command allows, under its drug formulary, for troops struggling from sleep deprivation to receive a 6-month supply of Seroquel, which was first developed to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, mania and depression. At least two U.S. Marines have died in their sleep after taking large amounts of the medication.

Dr. Grace Jackson, a former Navy psychiatrist, left the service “out of conscience, because I did not want to be a pill pusher,” she told Nextgov. Jackson believes psychotropic drugs are “destroying the force.” She is especially concerned about the anticonvulsive drug Depakote, which military doctors prescribe for mood control. Depakote can cause “cognitive toxicity,” impaired ability to think and make decisions.

Another expert, Dr. Peter Breggin, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee last year that combat soldiers should not be given psychotic drugs, because they can cause loss of judgment and self-control and lead to increased violence and suicidal impulses.

According to a June 2010 report by the Defense Department's Pharmacoeconomic Center at Fort Sam Houston, 20% of active-duty troops were taking prescribed psychotropic drugs, including antidepressants, antipsychotics and sedative hypnotics.

http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Doctors_Alarmed_by_Militarys_Use_of_Mind_Drugs_on_Troops_110123

[malaise]

1. But but but

The children of the poor are dispensable. :sarcasm:

[SpiralHawk]

2. k and r

Deeply troubling -- doped up troops.

[formercia]

3. Gives a whole new meaning to the War on Drugs.

Bzzzt.

[hootinholler]

9. Doesn't it?

:rofl:

-Hoot

[Enthusiast]

4. Another example of poor decision

making at the top.

[Maine_Nurse]

5. Is there an Idiot Platoon in the Pentagon somewhere?

Who thinks this crap up? As if we don't have a high enough rate of suicide amongst our troops, we feed them pills that have known risks for suicide, increasing depression, alteration of motor skills? Just what your average soldier needs when their reflexes and cognitive abilities are what keep them and their fellow soldiers alive. Some of these meds require ongoing blood-level testing to prevent toxicity, how well do they manage that in the field???

Between not providing our troops with proper care (nixing brain rehab among other things) and giving inappropriate treatment like this, our troops are in more danger from the Pentagon than from the other enemies.

[Hydra]

10. Human Guinea pigs

In "field tests."

You know, I had a friend who said the worst place in the world to be was in prison, and the second worst was in the Military. Considering they test drugs and other things on prisoners too, it's starting to look dead-even.

[Maine_Nurse]

12. You give them too much credit for intelligence. nt

[Hydra]

13. That's what they said about the torture

"Too inept to order such a thing" (paraphrasing).

We found out later that wasn't the case, didn't we?

[DCKit]

6. I've heard that the use of anti-psychotics on healthy people can result in insanity.

If so, this is not going to turn out well.

[Maine_Nurse]

7. Well "insanity" is legal fiction, but

It is very correct that administering mood/hormone/neurotransmitter/etc altering drugs to a person not suffering from a specific ailment certainly could induce depression, psychosis, mania, or many other mental and physical issues. Heck, there are plenty of meds for physical conditions that do the same thing to people.

It is also true that most real psychiatric patients suffer through many years of improper care/meds until they actually get a correct diagnosis. There is so much overlap just between psychiatric disorders, let alone physical problems that cause behavioral/cognitive issues, that it is a very tough call under the best of situations. When you have soldiers that are undergoing multiple physical and psychiatric/psychological stresses, making a call like that becomes unbelievably difficult.

[DCKit]

8. Thanks for the sane, informed post, and welcome to DU. nt

[immoderate]

11. A little change of setting, and you have a plot...

--imm