Another glitch in the system? Ft. Hood

[whitehall]

The current Ft. Hood shooter who was undergoing psychiatric treatment and prescribed mood altering drugs and would not be able to "legally" purchase a handgun if the instant name check indicated that fact. Military bases should be required to notify state governments if personnel are being treated for psychiatric related disorders.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - Obviously, dey doin' sumpin' wrong...

Fort Hood shooting underscores Army’s mental health crisis
April 5, 2014 — This week’s deadly shootings at Fort Hood suggest that after years of trying to confront a mental health crisis, the military is still struggling to design a health care system that can identify and successfully treat service members who might become violent.

Army Spc. Ivan Lopez had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances and was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder before he opened fire on fellow soldiers and then killed himself at Fort Hood on Wednesday. Now the Army is confronted once again with possible correlations between mental health disorders and violence — and how to screen for them. Tens of thousands of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD, but only a small minority commit violent acts. It is extremely difficult to predict those who are likely to explode into violence, according to experts in mass shootings and mental illness.

The disorder alone does not make a combat veteran or anyone else more prone to premeditated violence, experts say. But it can severely strain relationships or lead to a firing or demotion at work — events that can push someone over the edge. And some conditions associated with PTSD — depression, anxiety, anger, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts — are also associated with those who commit mass shootings. “It’s easy to identify possible predictors of a rare tragic event after the fact,” Richard J. McNally, a psychology professor at Harvard University, said in an email interview. “It is much harder to predict it.”

The 34-year-old Lopez had been examined by a psychiatrist last month and was prescribed Ambien, among other drugs, while undergoing evaluation for PTSD. “We have very strong evidence that he had a medical history that indicates unstable psychiatric or psychological conditions,” Army Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, the Fort Hood commander, told reporters. Yet Lopez was not placed under any restrictions, according to the Army.

Several studies have found that combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD are two to three times more likely than other combat veterans to commit domestic violence or other violent acts, said Dr. Prakash Masand, a former Duke University psychiatrist who has studied the disorder. “The absolute numbers are small, but the association is there,” Masand said in an interview.

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[Politico]

Jesus quit with the drug crap. He didn't kill anyone because he took Ambien. He wasn't in the system because he was not being treated for a particular psychiatric related disorder. He had been trying to get a diagnosis for three years. That is the problem.

 

[whitehall]

We go back to the often contradictory issue of whether crazy people should be allowed to purchase a firearm. Under federal law a person who is undergoing psychiatric treatment is flagged on a name check and is not authorized to purchase a firearm. There was a glitch in the Va name check system when the maniac who murdered 30 people in UVA Blacksburg was able to "legally" purchase firearms because psychiatric issues were considered to be confidential. Allegedly the glitch was fixed after 30 people were shot to death. The new left which makes a big show about PTSD seems to be of the opinion that it's only fair to authorize Veterans with PTSD cases so severe that they are awarded a medical pension to purchase firearms because they served their Country. You can't have it both ways.

 

[DriftingSand]

The current Ft. Hood shooter who was undergoing psychiatric treatment and prescribed mood altering drugs and would not be able to "legally" purchase a handgun if the instant name check indicated that fact. Military bases should be required to notify state governments if personnel are being treated for psychiatric related disorders.

Perhaps it might even be a good idea to discharge men with psychiatric problems. Not necessarily a dishonorable discharge but a medical discharge or something like that. Unfortunately, too many of these situations fall into grey areas where knowing the right steps to take are nearly impossible to determine. If the guy is to remain in the military then that's a flag to potential gun dealers that if he meats military standards then he must be okay.

 

[whitehall]

The current Ft. Hood shooter who was undergoing psychiatric treatment and prescribed mood altering drugs and would not be able to "legally" purchase a handgun if the instant name check indicated that fact. Military bases should be required to notify state governments if personnel are being treated for psychiatric related disorders.

Perhaps it might even be a good idea to discharge men with psychiatric problems. Not necessarily a dishonorable discharge but a medical discharge or something like that. Unfortunately, too many of these situations fall into grey areas where knowing the right steps to take are nearly impossible to determine. If the guy is to remain in the military then that's a flag to potential gun dealers that if he meats military standards then he must be okay.

It's simple enough. The "right step" would be to protect society and require authorities to alert state government when a member of the military is being treated for a psychotic disorder.