So i just got my Time mag in the mail today and i was unaware of this but the us military is being given prozac to combat the ever growing depression. heres a link for everyone:
Im pretty shocked. This is pretty much a terrible idea no matter how you put it. The polls they put in the mag arent on the online article so ill sum them up. some interesting numbers.
Soldiers in iraq sleep an avg of 5.6 hours a night (far less that the 7-8 hours needed for peak performance)
A lot of the soldiers that are having problems wont tell them commanders because:
A. It would be too embarrasing
iraq:32%
afghanistan:35%
B. My leader would blame me for the problem
iraq:40%
afghanistan:44%
C. Members of my unit might treat me differently
iraq:54%
afghanistan:56%
D. I would be seen as week.
iraq:52%
afghanistan:57%
thoughts people? Like what is going to happen to these soldiers when they do get back?
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Posted:
Fri Jun 06, 2008 5:33 pm
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they are going to be a littl like nam vets I think... that is very sad to hear!
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crazed4now
Posted:
Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:24 pm
Emerald Weapon
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lol. Nice. They undersleep and then know that they're only purpose is to kill people based on a war for revenge and what's the US's reply? Drug 'em up!
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It's a bit sad. These people feel they can't talk about depression, the most treated affliction in the Western world, because they'd feel weak. Repressing it will only make it worse, and I can't see Prozac helping either.
A woman here, who is some greenies party leader. Wants Australian troops to use drugs to cope with stress and any deep emotional wounds they might get.
I think that that is total rubbish, and besides most of the drugs that poured through the world in the 60's were mostly from the war.
As for the poll results, well it's understandable but clearly not very well thought out by the military if they only get 6 hours sleep max.
ouch. what's our world coming to? We're completely contradicting ourselves. Drugs are bad, science says they're bad, but we should give them to the people defending us because then it's good. Hmm... THIS MIGHT BE AN ANSWER! We offer drugs to soldiers, send them to war, and they die! Ahhhh.... screwed up politics, stopping both the war on terror and the war on substance abuse in one sweep. XD
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Vial
Posted:
Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:21 am
True Fan
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I actually read that Time Magazine article not too long ago, I didn't find the results from the graphs or responses from the Army soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan all that shocking. A lot of the trouble for signs of depression and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) can't be fixed on deployment time because/ A: location makes it harder to receive help /B: availability of needed prescriptions/ and C: They have a job to do, every man counts. But once they get back to the States it's family time and then you can get the help you need. Will everyone that's needs it get it? No because they'd rather suck it up and drive on with a happy smile. That's just the way it works.
seifer wrote:
Soldiers in iraq sleep an avg of 5.6 hours a night (far less that the 7-8 hours needed for peak performance)
They forget that we are trained to be sleep deprived, from Basic through Garrison training. I was in Afghanistan for 15 months, 82nd Airborne, 4th BCT, Task Force 1-Fury, and being on the front line fighting the Taliban sleep was the last thing on my mind. You have a mission to accomplish, and get it done as quick as possible. Yes would it be nice to get enough sleep, it would be, but the reality is that that extra 2 or 3 hours you had to sleep is an extra 2 or 3 hours the enemy has to mark your location and set up ambushes on you. I'll lose some sleep if it means i make it back home safely.
Hey whats the deal with going back home, I mean how long does a soldier stays there. The war itself is over right? but the deal rightnow is post-war ocupation (am I wrong? I mean nobody is saying the war is over but US is in a dominant position right?)
How long does the/a draft lasts?
I laughed when I read this part
Says Combat Stress Injury, a 2006 medical book edited by Charles Figley and William Nash that details how troops can be helped by such drugs. "Medication can, however, alleviate some debilitating and nearly intolerable symptoms of combat and operational stress injuries" and "help restore personnel to full functioning capacity."
Which means that any drug that keeps a soldier deployed and fighting also saves money on training and deploying replacements
In other words, taking drugs Is a way to maximise war efforts's perfomance, WE ARE IN THE AGE OF DRUG WARS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN (as in using drugs as weapons, and not stress relievers for troops)
PS: Yhea I second you crazed, Its kind of silly, but it still has its logic, drugs should be AVAILABLE to soldiers me thinks. If I were going emo id take drugs to supress my suicidal atempts, or would you rather choose to let them free and die?
"Drugs are bad" is a campaign, not a fact, if you have a razor in one hand and a drug in the other i think you'd choose the drug. That way drugs could save your life.
I think you all are thinking that they are brainwashing them, but its open for debate, if you give them too much and they are O.D. all the time ofcourse they are, but who is who to say how much drug's enought, not enought and too much, im not a junky so I wouldnt know.
"Drugs are dangerous" is a fact, I dont love or hate them much but they'r human, I hope they dont turn into viet vets like you say =(
In the end I do still find it debateable wether they should allow drugs in the army or not, if they feel they are doing the wrong thing then stop the war/surrender O.o ?
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wingzero
Posted:
Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:41 am
Ultima Weapon
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well, in the army you should get urine tests to see if they have been using anything, but they wanna give them drugs themselves?
it sounds rather contradictive...
when you get in the army you should know what could possibly happen...
besides, if i'd have drugs in one hand, and a razor in the other, i'd start thinking where i went wrong to make a desision like that, and i'd probably dump both hands and forget it ever happened...
Quote:
"Medication can, however, alleviate some debilitating and nearly intolerable symptoms of combat and operational stress injuries" and "help restore personnel to full functioning capacity."
*smacks klyern* thank you for agreeing with me, but do not stereotype emo kids. We have a style, a haircut, and a type of music; but that cutting thing is just an attempt to make us feel bad about ourselves for not conforming to Hollister.
And yes wingy, it's completely contradictory.
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3nfy
Posted:
Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:05 pm
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well, in the army you should get urine tests to see if they have been using anything, but they wanna give them drugs themselves?
it sounds rather contradictive...
when you get in the army you should know what could possibly happen...
Plenty of urine tests are given out on a monthly scale.
They screen it for just about every type of harmful or narcotic substance you could name off.
Quote:
"Medication can, however, alleviate some debilitating and nearly intolerable symptoms of combat and operational stress injuries" and "help restore personnel to full functioning capacity."
wingzero wrote:
isn't that sorta contradictory?
There's nothing contradictive in that statement, all it's saying is that medicine blocks out stress so you can work more efficiently.
wingzero
Posted:
Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:42 am
Ultima Weapon
Age: 20
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It's true. Lots of anti-depressants actually have side effects that are worse then the actual condition. Loss of sexual stimulation, thoughts of suicide, loss of appetite, dehydration, decreased reaction time; the list goes on.
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ultima_christ
Posted:
Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:16 pm
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It's their job, I suppose. I showed this to my friend. He's still going back. I guess it's something you can't understand unless your a soldier. Lot's of them choose to put themselves through this.
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