Psychiatrists for Soldiers

Army plans to hire more psychiatrists

WASHINGTON - Overwhelmed by the number of soldiers returning from war with mental problems, the Army is planning to hire at least 25 percent more psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.

A contract finalized this week but not yet announced calls for spending $33 million to add about 200 mental health professionals to help soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health needs, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

"As the war has gone on, PTSD and other psychological effects of war have increased," said Col. Elspeth Ritchie, psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general.

This is a sad reality of war.

WWII vets suffered from PTSD and with the Vietnam era the United States seen an overwhelming problem with traumatized veterans.

It's my opinion that such warfare changes have contributed to these disorders. During WWII soldiers knew exactly who the enemy was when engaged in combat. With the Vietnam War the enemy wasn't always in a uniform and soldiers did not always know for sure whether they would be walking into a village of allies or enemies, plus the onset of jungle warfare changed the effects on soldiers. Now, with the War in Iraq it's possible for anyone to be an enemy, being that they are only differentiated mostly by religious beliefs and no enemy wears a standard uniform. I think with the onset of urban warfare and the fact that the actual enemy uses civilian camo has greatly increased the effects of PTSD.

It's sad that soldiers have to suffer combat at all, but it's a fact of life. At least the military is stepping up in an attempt to treat these soldiers now instead of letting soldiers suffer the same fate as most veterans of Vietnam.