Well, thanks for telling me that. So do they regularly dish out anti-depressants to their patients, or prefer to hand out religious material to calm the trouble mind? I assume they treat non-muslims too? Surely it must be confusing for these quacks at times?

Back to the topic. Thought this was interesting to read.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110602783_3.html?sid=ST2009110603664

Also this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6526030/Fort-Hood-gunman-had-told-US-military-colleagues-that-infidels-should-have-their-throats-cut.html

I really don't get this Dr Hasan. Or the army for letting him remain in his position.

My sympathies really go out to his family who must be going through real tough times right now. It is them I feel sorry for..and of course the real victims/families of Fort Hood.

What a doctor dishes out to the sick particularly mentally sick it is none of my business neither is yours bees wax if one comes down to the nitty gritty of this practice is concerned...Luckily and unluckily I have seen quite a few of them when they are without the meds...in maniacal state nothing matters for them, no one...  It is a subject  that none of us are qualified to discuss btw they are  approved by the American boards who oversee their work, you are free to call them quacks or whatever but they are what they are ...you may start a thread on this! It is tough life for these quacks as you like to call them and statistically more of these commit suicide than regular Joes! Your comment about anti depressants is hilarious, it is part of the me, me materialistic society like America...I think it is about time for you to travel to US and learn about where this great society is headed controlled by the big pharma and it is going to get bigger under Obama!
Your link to Washington Post is moronic... why would any thinking Muslim give any appreciation to this Zionist propaganda arm? And this loser Paki Naveed Ali Shah is a joke! yea their kind have been there before, no wonder the state of that banana republic is so pitiable!
I don't find telegraph article any more enlightening than what I see in my local papers!
Extracts from LAT follows:

Fort Hood tragedy rocks military as it grapples with mental health issues

Psychological problems are rampant, leaders admit. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been long, and repeat deployments are highly stressful. Doctors, too, fall prey to mental illness.

The U.S. military's culture of silence about troops' mental health had finally begun to change.

In the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the various branches had been roundly criticized for failing to adequately address post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other psychiatric problems. Responding to that criticism, leaders made progress in diagnosing and treating such illnesses among service members.

But Thursday's attack at Ft. Hood -- as well as two other recent incidents in which military personnel allegedly turned guns on their own -- indicates an intractable problem not easily overcome.

The fact that the suspect is a psychiatrist "is a one-in-a-billion case," said Floyd Meshad, who served as a psychiatric social worker in the Vietnam War and is president of the National Veterans Foundation in Los Angeles. "But it does red-flag a lot of questions."

Those questions include whether, even today, military personnel can easily obtain mental health services.

The factors that may have led to Hasan's alleged actions are not yet clear. What is clear is that no one is immune to mental health problems: Doctors have slightly higher suicide rates than does the general population.

"Psychiatrists can have emotional difficulties too. We are humans like everyone else," said Dr. William Callahan, a psychiatrist in Aliso Viejo who served as a flight surgeon in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "It's a shocking reminder of how much we need to do to get people access and better treatment."

Military leaders acknowledge rampant psychiatric problems in their midst. According to the Army, the suicide rate among soldiers in Iraq is five times that seen in the Persian Gulf War and 11% higher than during Vietnam. The Army reported 133 suicides in 2008, the most ever. In January of this year, the 24 suicides reported by the Army outnumbered U.S. combat-related deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Marine Corps also reported an increase in suicides in 2008, to 41. The Army and Marine Corps have provided most of the troops in the two wars.

In April 2008, researchers at the Rand Corp. published a study showing that almost 20% of personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan reported PTSD or depression. Just over half of those had sought treatment.

"I think the military fully understands the magnitude of this problem," said Dahr Jamail, a journalist and author of a new book, "The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan."

"This issue of redeploying people repeatedly is a massive crisis," Jamail said. "It's creating a point of collapse in the military."

In fact, Jamail said, he is surprised that violent incidents aren't more frequent.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have generated an array of mental and behavioral problems, experts say. Besides PTSD, a high rate of traumatic brain injury has contributed to cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. The wars have been long and, without a national draft in place, many troops have been subject to repeat deployment. The nature of the conflicts -- fighting insurgents who mingle among civilians -- is considered an additional, constant source of stress.

Military violence has been a problem in recent years. An Army sergeant has been accused of killing two superiors at a base south of Baghdad last year. And in May, an Army sergeant allegedly opened fire in a stress clinic on a base in Baghdad, killing five fellow soldiers.

The symptoms of mental health problems can include anxiety, depression, hyper-vigilance, insomnia, nightmares, emotional numbness, cognitive difficulties and intrusive thoughts. Some troops report feelings of guilt or sorrow that they cannot overcome. Others begin to abuse alcohol or drugs. Loneliness, divorce and domestic violence are common.

Service personnel have traditionally been reluctant to seek counseling because doing so might go on their records, said Meshad, who teaches mental health workers about compassion fatigue -- a gradual erosion of compassion for one's patients and apathy about their plight.

"We have a system that has a Catch-22, and it's time the military faced it," he said. "These soldiers would like to see a therapist. But there must be a way where it can be confidential."

Recently, military leaders have made strides in addressing the mental health crisis. In 2007, the Defense Department established the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury to promote prevention and treatment.

The department also recently launched a program called Real Warriors to fight the stigma surrounding mental health issues and promote treatment. In July, the Army provided $500 million for the largest study ever on suicide and mental health issues among military personnel and last month announced it would begin emotional-resilience training to prepare troops for the psychological duress of service.

"The military is doing more and more to address emotions," Callahan said. "They are becoming more focused and precise in realizing they have got to prepare people emotionally for war."

Some say military mental health providers, possibly including Hasan, carry heavy workloads as a result.

"They are horribly burned out," said Aaron Glantz, author of the 2009 book "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans."

Military psychiatrists can face especially frustrating circumstances because they may recommend releasing a soldier from active duty or redeployment because of mental health problems, only to be overridden by a commanding officer, Glantz said.

In 2007, a soldier at Ft. Hood told mental health services that he was suicidal, but he was nonetheless ordered to redeploy.

"His commanding officer said, 'I don't care, I want you redeployed anyway,' " Glantz said. "He walked into a field and killed himself. Imagine if you're the psychiatrist in that situation. All of these psychiatrists are experiencing this."

I hope it will give you some perspective of what the distant wars do in homelands in IT world...
 


Edited by Sign*Reader - 09 November 2009 at 12:39pm

Salams Sign,

You are quite right that none of us are qualified to discuss these docs. Neither is it any of our business to question them. Odd really that you feel we shouldn't, as you are so 'vocal' and I like the banter we have on all subjects. Whilst I might appear moronic I really am not:) Certainly no more than anyone else lol.

Life is tough for everyone..would you not say?. It IS a materialistic world, especially in the US. Americans are so BLESSED to have such a beautiful expanse of land, with all its diversities. So much to see for free..honestly! And I often wonder why some are not more thankful for it.
I gather you do not approve of the way the US is headed? Or are you the materialistic kind? Can you not see the wood for the trees?

Quote-'I think it is about time for you to travel to US and learn about where this great society is headed controlled by the big pharma and it is going to get bigger under Obama!'

Good that neither of us much like the media. But it does show we should not believe anything written. WOnder why we have to rely on it so much.

Did you know that PTSD is not peculiar to the fighting military personel? Tho most associate it with that. In fact we could almost suggest that Dr Hasan was suffering from the symptoms of PTSD himself. It wouldn't be surprising if this came out at some stage.
Seriously tho, read this link..it is very informative.

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/ptsd/posttraumaticstressdisorder.aspx

To be honest, I am incredibly sad that the state of Dr Hassan's mind led him to this. On a larger scale it doesn't do much for Islamic relations with the rest of the world.:(

Have a good day Sign :)

Sign,
BTW..I could not get the link 'Right Thing' to work.
You say what goes around comes around. Can you elaborate on that?
I have said repeatedly that the facts will show all. And I am happy to hear them when they do.
I am sad that his state of mind might have led him to this, but he has caused unnecessary suffering to others. And SHOULD it come to light that he 'planned' this then Allah will be his judge as will the US law and it's citizens.
It is a waiting game. It is not enough for anyone to say what is done is done. If he is guilty, through sane mind, then he will have to take what penalty comes to him. Then it will perhaps be..'what is done is done.'

(taken from excerpt NYtimes)

"Mr. Awlaki said Monday on his English language Web site that Mr. Hasan was “a hero.” The cleric said, “He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people.”

He added, “The only way a Muslim could Islamically justified serving as a solider in the U.S. Army is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal.”

So does this cleric mean that all muslim soldiers should act as Dr Hasan at Fort Hood?
No wonder I don't follow the scholars and imams then :( And no wonder the world doesn;t understand Islam. They have no need to hear such teachings as these. I am getting cross now, lol