Support for Troops on Prozac

In the June 10^th, 2008 edition of Time magazine, writer Mark Thompson reported on the use of antidepressant drugs in both the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war. Thompson's article approximates that between 12 and 17% of combat troops are on either an antidepressant or sleeping pill to cope. The number of soldiers prescribed medications, however, and should be taking medications no doubt differs greatly. By nature and training military personnel are reluctant to admit mental health problems or stress. Thompson's article suggests that a third of the US men and women in both Iraq and Afghanistan feel it would be embarrassing to admit they are receiving mental health services. Particularly eye-opening, over half felt they would be seen as weak by others.

That is why education and more aggressive psychiatric assessments and follow-up are needed, especially at the front lines. By normalizing mood disruption and intense fear during times of war, our fighting regiments open up doors to quicker, more effective help. Sometimes daily, troops are exposed to road-side bombs, the injury, dismemberment, and death of comrades, loud sounds and flashes of light, and long stretches of silence and boredom. A safe, brain chemical lift gained from medications like Prozac and monitored by medical professionals can provide mental stability in a grossly unstable environment. Select antidepressants improve depression, increase memory and concentration, and lessen the effects of fear and anxiety. Morale would be raised, either individually or as a result of social interaction. Consider the secondary gains of a well-adjusted captain leading his team through the streets of Fallujah, Iraq in search of insurgent forces. Psychotropic drugs should be offered liberally.