Veteran Issues
Posted at 12:44pm on Jun. 17, 2008 Disposable Heroes?
How Cheap Is the Well Being of a Soldier?
By absentee
The Washington Times has a lengthy and detailed exposé up this morning exposing negligent treatment of American fighting men and women.
Men and women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder were given the drug Chantix as part of a smoking cessation study. Among the side effects of Chantix are psychosis and suicidal behavior. Read that again. Veterans suffering from PTSD were given a drug which can cause suicidal behavior.
The article highlights the story of Iraq war veteran James Elliott. Elliot participated in the "smoking-cessation treatment for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder" study, which was part of the Cooperative Studies Program (CSP).
Two videos are included with the story online, in which Elliott details his state of mind while taking Chantix. Eventually he became so disturbed by his experience that, during a psychotic episode, he was tasered by police while reaching for a concealed handgun.
Read on ...
Posted in Veteran Issues | War — Comments (6)/ Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 11:46am on Apr. 21, 2008 Kimberly Dozier: No Stranger To PTSD
By haystack
THIS article from CBS, "The Military's Showdown Over PTSD" is important. It serves to inform us about a major problem our Veterans are having to contend with, and opens our eyes ever-so-slightly to the hard reality of the ineptitude on the part of our Military machine AND Congress to adequately attend to the real needs of Veterans and their families as the politicization of the war rages on unabated. Written by Kimberly Dozier, a compelling case is made about the problems Soldiers bring home with them after their deployments to (in this case Iraq and Afghanistan) fight a war in defense of America. In the piece, Ms. Dozier offers a link to another CBS article that discusses a Rand study indicating that "one in five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression." This is a horrible statistic.
What especially caught my eye, however, was the name Kimberly Dozier.
More below the fold...
Posted in Capt. Funkhouser | Kimberly Dozier | PTSD | Veteran Issues | War — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »
