Behavior Of Returning Soldiers Discussed At Fort Carson

FORT CARSON – The mental health of some soldiers returning from deployment continues to be a concern among area professionals. So on Wednesday, representatives of the 4th Infantry Division, Evans Army Hospital and civilian professionals met for the first time under the same roof to discuss the situation.

About 60 people attended the four-hour behavioral health forum at the Elkhorn Conference Center on-post. Attendees prefer the term “behavioral health” over “mental health,”saying the former defines the issue better when discussing post-traumatic stress and other concerns, while the latter often includes negative perceptions of mental illness.

The forum produced the following conclusions:

1. Fort Carson has a higher percentage of returning soldiers with behavioral health issues than other Army posts. The reasons why, are unclear. An estimated 20% of returning soldiers seek help. The Army needs help from civilian hospitals for treatment, because the issue is too big for the Army to address alone.

2. Easing the deployment schedule will eliminate most issues. That should begin happening within the next two years, as the time soldiers spend at home between deployments increases from one to two years.

3. Army commanders are frustrated by issues. Commanders believe they lose control over soldiers seeking treatment, and the treatment takes too long (up to a year)–making it difficult to deploy those soldiers and making it easier for a soldier to avoid deploying.

4. Soldiers perceive civilian hospitals as not being helpful in treatment.

5. A stigma continues that soldiers will be punished by superiors–directly or indirectly–if they seek help. Leadership believes it’s making progress in lessening the stigma.

Brigadier General James Pasquarette of the 4th ID says one solution is a new program called resiliency training or comprehensive soldier fitness. “Really, it’s developing coping skills so that when we put our soldiers in combat, they can deal with that stress and not get to the point where they need help. Some of this is preventive, that the Army in general is trying to get its arms around. And some of it is treatment once a soldier needs help. So we’re trying to comprehensively look at all of this.”

Pasquarette says the timing is right for the first-ever meeting because much has been learned about behavioral health during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says the professionals plan to meet quarterly to keep abreastof the issues.