Better Tests For Armed Forces' Mental Health

It is no myth or secret that a person's mental health can easily be damaged by being in live combat. The sounds of guns firing, the sensation of mortal shells impacting and exploding a few feet from one's position, and the realization that a friend just got his head blown off can all be very, very jarring.

A soldier that sees a tour of duty in an active combat zone is guaranteed to experience at least one situation that no amount of mental or physical training can prepare them for. Unfortunately, a great number of these soldiers have been found to come home still bearing the scars of such events, despite the efforts of the top brass to help alleviate those problems. That is why, it seems, the Pentagon has finally taken measures to help ensure that the mental health of the soldiers returning home is not completely shattered.

A group of doctors and medical researchers stated that the United States armed forces needed to devise a more uniform method for testing soldiers. Traumatic brain injuries, fractured mental health after live combat, and exposure to a blast or other violent events during wartime are known factors contributing to changed behavior in returning troops. The outcry is that the top brass simply hasn't implemented enough measures for these problems to be addressed properly and promptly before it manifests during their return to civilian life.

This has always been a problem, but it has only now been seriously highlighted. The wave of problems with troops returning home has finally stirred action from the Pentagon. Changes in behavior, various mood disorders, and engaging in violent crime have all been reported from soldiers that have returned from war. The military has only now taken notice of this, and whether or not it makes a massive move to help mend those wounds is largely unknown.