>

Friday, February 27, 2009

Obama has just announced extra money to Iraq soldiers...

...fight PTSD....

more later...
Update:
He has been raising vets issues for a long time. Here is one of the issues:

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - Obama fought a VA proposal that would have required a reexamination of all Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cases in which full benefits were granted. He and Senator Durbin passed an amendment that became law preventing the VA from conducting a review of cases, without first providing Congress with a complete report regarding the implementation of such review. In November 2005, the VA announced that it was abandoning its planned review. Obama passed an amendment to ensure that all service members returning from Iraq are properly screened for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI is being called the signature injury of the Iraq war. The blast from improvised explosive devices can jar the brain, causing bruising or permanent damage. Concussions can have huge health effects including slowed thinking, headaches, memory loss, sleep disturbance, attention and concentration deficits, and irritability. Obama and Biden will improve mental health treatment for troops and veterans suffering from combat-related psychological injuries. (emphasis mine) They will:

1. Improve Mental Health Treatment: Recruit more health professionals, improve screening, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer.

2. Improve Care for Traumatic Brain Injury: Establish standards of care for Traumatic Brain Injury, the signature injury of the Iraq war.

3. Expand Vet Centers: Expand and strengthen Vet Centers to provide more counseling for vets and their families. (emphasis mine)
.
As long as counseling is provided and these men are not put on antidepressant, benzodiazepine, mood stabilizer or any other psych-drug that has no power to treat the traumatic experience of being on a war its great.
Screening soldiers for Traumatic Brain Injury is also a good measure since the symptoms can be seen as "psychological" or symptoms of depression.
Let's hope for the better.

No comments: