US Military and Mental Health

Attached a link "Branding a Soldier With ‘Personality Disorder" to an article in which the author reports that military commanders pressure clinicians to issue unwarranted psychiatric diagnoses to get rid of troops. In the case described a 50-year old female behavioral health professional was diagnosed suffering from a a personality disorder, a diagnosis that the military has used to discharge thousands of troops. Subsequently, she was sent home.She disputed the diagnosis, but it was not until months later that she found what seemed powerful ammunition buried in her medical file, portions of which she provided to The New York Times. “Her command specifically asks for a diagnosis of a personality disorder,” a document signed by the psychiatrist said. By comparison, a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is usually linked to military service and leads to a medical discharge accompanied by certain benefits. In recent weeks, questions about whether the Army manipulates psychiatric diagnoses to save money have been raised at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash., where soldiers undergoing medical evaluations before discharge complained that psychiatrists rescinded PTSD diagnoses, leaving the soldiers with diagnoses like personality disorder that did not qualify them for medical discharges. If these ALLEGATIONS are correct then several questions and issues must be addressed: Did military psychiatrist, or those contracted by the military, violate the code of medical ethics? Should the U.S. military order their credentialed medical staff to follow evidence-based diagnostic guidelines before reaching a mental health diagnosis? Shouldn't soldiers have the right for a second-opinion BEFORE facing a potentially dishonorable discharge? Those brave man and women in uniform deserve better treatment. Yours Bernd