(Bill Stamp/KUHF Public Radio)
We still don’t know what caused an American soldier to open fire on innocent civilians in Afghanistan over the weekend. Sixteen people were killed including women and children. The White House and agencies are working to get U.S. military personnel the mental help they need.
Some people have nightmares if they see a particularly scary movie. For others, just being involved in a car accident can create a fear of traveling. So imagine what could happen mentally to a person if they had to live through this on a routine basis
The stress of war can cause depression or mental issues the person feels they can’t control. The condition is known as post- traumatic stress disorder:
“Flashbacks and nightmares, and inability to not go back there in your mind, or to be pulled back just from some random noise out there.”
Researchers say depression caused by PTSD one of the main factors in suicides of military personnel. John Oldham is chief of staff at the Menninger Clinic in Houston and is also president of the American Psychiatric Association. He recently attended a meeting at the White House on this very issue.
(Hear the full story at KUHF Public Radio)
OTHER HEADLINES:
- Houston-Area Homeless Programs Get $2.8 Million in Federal Funding (Houston Chronicle)
- Baby Products Go Unregulated (KPRC 2 News)
- Despite Increased Restrictions, Urban Water Use Climbs (Texas Tribune)
- Obama Spill Panel Members to Press for Safety Progress (Fuel Fix)
- U.S. Backs Antismoking Ad Campaign (New York Times)
OPINIONS ON KONY 2012 CONTROVERSY:
- Viral Video, Vicious Warlord
(Nicholas Kristof, New York Times)
I’d like to thank the makers of the “Kony 2012” video for goading me to write about Joseph Kony. With about 100 million views, it is now one of the most viral videos of all time…But nobody fights more wickedly than humanitarians, so there have been a series of attacks on the video. Let me try to address some of the criticisms. - Room for Debate: Fighting War Crimes, Without Leaving the Couch?
(Various Contributors, New York Times)
Many experts have said the message of Koney 2012 is simplistic, even dishonest, and have questioned the group’s finances and the approach it demands for capturing Kony. Social media definitely has the power to bring attention to terrible problems — but is there a downside, if the “call to action” is wrong-headed or if these campaigns give young people a false sense of what it really takes to create change?