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America's Medicated Army - TIME

time.com — For the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The medicines are intended not only to help troops keep their cool but to preserve soldiers on the front lines.

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ladu 93 days ago, made popular 92 days ago

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temptxan, on 06/05/2008, -4/+47Keeping them drugged means keeping them deployed? WTF have we as a nation become?
- kero552, on 06/06/2008, -1/+8Simple: You don't have enough troops. Not enough men join the army. Next time USA invades country, it would be good if it had some realistic occupation plan (natives don't have to love you, it is enough, if they don't hate you... like most of Iraq does).
- mcquitty, on 06/06/2008, -1/+9I think you are missing a point. It is a mirror of America as a whole. It isn't just the troops that are being medicated, but it seems as if it is everyone.
  
  How many antidepressant advertisements have you seen today?
- principle, on 06/07/2008, -0/+1The FDA requires all antidepressants, including sertraline, to carry a black box warning stating that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide in persons younger than 25.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoloft#Suicidality
- nwoantibody, on 06/08/2008, -0/+1What the conspiracy theorist told you you were becoming.
  Now, it's too late, because all those troops are coming back to rule you, in your police system.
  Piece of advice,
  Move to Canada, Australia or Europe.
militarycoup, on 06/05/2008, -13/+19Bring them back home,the biggest threat to your security is open borders and political correctness,globalisation will finish the US as you know it off.
lazerus9, on 06/05/2008, -4/+19Drugs are no replacement for "definition of mission"! Keep your heads and conscience clear!
- boot20, on 06/06/2008, -0/+4Wait, wait, wait. I thought the mission was accomplished and now you tell me it's not defined!!??
  - popfrogs, on 06/06/2008, -1/+4No no, you don't get it. The mission was defined one way to begin with (invade/bomb Iraq), and THAT was accomplished. Now, the liberal media came along and redefined it, so that made the Mission Accomplished photo-op look bad.
    
    /s
- EmperorAwesome, on 06/06/2008, -1/+2No, drugs are a replacement for booze, which they'll be court-marshaled for possessing "in all due respect for their muslim hosts". Nothing pisses me off more than watching mainstream society become voluntarily uptight.
Fangsinmybeard, on 06/06/2008, -10/+2Well, it beats putting them on Thorazine and having them drool 24/7 for the rest of their lives.
roosevans, on 06/06/2008, -3/+12The "backdoor draft" of repeated deployments to war zones is greatly weakening the American military. In my opinion, America will have to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan or re-institute the draft, abolishing the "all volunteer" army.
- CrazyZ, on 06/06/2008, -1/+3and that is finally when revolution will come or will it? The draft has existed before and didn't cause major issues.
  - LucifersDad, on 06/06/2008, -0/+5Now days most men in my age group will not fight for America, even though we have no problems killing each other for mobile phones or stepping on someones foot. If these right wing muppet's want to fight then they can send themselves.
    
    It is quite easy to believe in war when they know full well that there family and themselves will not be involved in it.
    
    If you really want to end wars send all the politicians, extremists and people who want the war to the front line, and when they are all dead we can then go home.
    - USNavyBlue, on 06/06/2008, -1/+2There will be NO more drafts necessary when the Patriot Act II becomes law. As it stands the Patriot Act II has passed the senate committee.
      
      The Patriot Act II states that every single boy and girl 18 years of age will serve the military a minimum of 4 years in the branch of military of their choosing. Did you get that? Read it again. I am not making this up. Google the Patriot Act II. Does this sound like a Free Constitutional Republic to you? Sounds more like the USSA.
      
      LucifersDad: “Now days most men in my age group will not fight for America” I can agree with this statement provided that YOU and your friends mean that you will not fight in unconstitutional wars for another foreign countries security not America’s.
      
      1. Would you and your American friends fight for America if America were directly attacked on USA Soil by a foreign country?
      
      You and your friends may have no choice with the tyrannical corrupt regime that masquerades as our government. Will you become a slave in the NWO or will you and your friends fight to take back America’s Constitutional Republic for which she stands?
      
      If your answer is NO and NO, then by all means renounce your US Citizenship because you don’t deserve it. (If I am incorrect, I apologize in advance).
    - CryRightardCry, on 06/10/2008, -0/+1@navyblue
      Here's the wiki page:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Security_Enh ...
      Here's another: http://w2.eff.org/Censorship/Terrorism_militias/pa ...
      Your claim of mandatory service isn't backed up by it.
      Yeah, I know, it's wiki and can't be trusted. That's why there is the EFF link.
      I'm reading drafts of Patriot Act 2, and that's not in there.
      Typical rightard, make ***** up, make some lame speech about it where you question EVERYONE ELSE'S patriotism.
      This from the morons who cheer the Bush regime.
      Yes, you ARE mistaken, but your crappy apology isn't worth *****.
      I don't know why I am suprised when right wingers talk out their ass and lie and think "oh, sorry" makes making ***** up OK.
      I guess you think that sort of behavior is honorable. The Navy might think otherwise.
  - USNavyBlue, on 06/06/2008, -0/+3The Patriot Act II which has PASSED the Senate Committee so far, states that every boy and girl 18 years of age must serve the military branch of their choice. However, what is appalling is the Global goons think by giving them a choice of choosing their military branch is doing them some king of favor. So in other words their will be NO MORE DRAFTS because now the USSA will have an endless supply of bodies for their Global War. I am not kidding Google it.
    
    @LucifersDad: "Now days most men in my age group will not fight for America,"
    
    1. I hope you are referring to fighting unjust, unconstitutional wars for foreign countries that have nothing to do with the Security of the USA? Because I can understand that.
    
    2. However, would you not fight for America if America was directly invaded, for example Pearl Harbor, WW II, the USA was directly attacked that day fateful day? There is a difference.
    
    If you choose NO to question number 2, then please renounce your citizenship of the USA because you do not deserve to live in this country. (If I am incorrect I apologize in advance.)
    
    You may have no choice to fight for America to take back the Republic for which she stands from the corrupt thugs in DC that have literally hijacked our government or YOU will become a slave in the NWO! You have a choice. Which one will you choose?
    - USNavyBlue, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Something funny is going on this is the second time this has occurred. Diggs posting things twice? STRANGE. The first time when you save comments they disappear so you rewrite it again and they post twice!
- ClosedCaption, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Combining this story with the backdoor draft and comments from heatless conservatives of "they signed up for it..I support you" is ***** sickening.
CoolHandLuke70, on 06/06/2008, -2/+3Insane!
zebco, on 06/06/2008, -2/+20"You're not scared of battle. You're just nervous. Here. Take this. Three times a day."
Maddening. You can't medicate lies into peoples' heads. Those soldiers are smart; they know there was no clear mission for going to Iraq and with no mission, there's no exit.
Simple as that. If you need to be medicated to swallow it, it's not right.
Rabbittt, on 06/06/2008, -2/+15Brave New World, anyone?

I'm down if it's MDMA..
- aukxsona, on 06/06/2008, -0/+2Xstatic! Empressive!
- bosssmiley, on 06/06/2008, -1/+4"Aaaah! Get the crazy American off me Abdul! He won't stop hugging me and saying what a great guy he thinks I am."
  - hempydave, on 06/06/2008, -0/+3Love thine enemy
    it will drive them crazy.
mickstephenson, on 06/06/2008, -18/+6Pussies,
Seriously the US needs stop recruiting emo kids.
ch1gz, on 06/06/2008, -5/+5"ah yeh that's the stuff"
ussoldier, on 06/06/2008, -8/+35In WW2, when the Allied soldiers suffered from psycho traumatic shell shock, from seeing their buddies head blown into a million pieces in the fox hole next to them, and gotten brain bits all over them... isntead of shipping the poor guys home, which would be the sane moral thing to do (no, sorry, the Army owns your ass until we say we don't anymore).... what they would do is give them these pills that were nicknamed "Blue 88's" (the pills were blue, and named after the German Flak 88 gun). The pills would make the guy sleep for several days straight, and when he woke up, he would be calm. Then they'd ship him right back up to the front line.

This is why you never ever ***** want to join the US Army. You'd be a ***** fool to do so. I was. Never ever join the army, unless you want to be dead or a slave. Amazing how many poor desperate retards fall for all that patriotic propaganda commercials and *****, only to sign themselves away into probably the worst servitude known to man.

If you are in the military.. your solution is simple. Rip up the paper and walk away and go off the grid. Its better than being dead (which is rather final) or mental for life.
- CrazyZ, on 06/06/2008, -9/+4Or.....research what you are getting into before you actually sign your life away. God for bid you actually have to fight while in the Army. psssst....... it's not all college tuition and drinking you know.........
  - kublerross, on 06/06/2008, -5/+7if by fight you mean kill iraqi children then yes
    (RTFA)
  - boot20, on 06/06/2008, -3/+8Did you server CrazyZ? I did. US Army 31C....
    
    You know what? In the military, you get to see so f*cked up sh*t. You want to know what the worse thing is? As young as you are in the military, you don't have the emotional capacity to actually deal with that f*cked up sh*t.
    - CrazyZ, on 06/06/2008, -1/+282nd Airborne.... 31C also...
  - USNavyBlue, on 06/06/2008, -0/+2This is why (forgive me I can't remember which great Patriot said this) "Men who have been in engaged in war and have seen all the horrors of death and destruction of what war brings, they will do everything possible to avoid it again. Men would rather die, then engage in another war." Not the exact quote but you'll get the point. I know usssoilder gets that all too well!
lnf69, on 06/06/2008, -2/+9Well, in Vietnam they were self-medicating. I guess the military is taking a lesson from that war as well.
ee52ck, on 06/06/2008, -1/+11Going back to ww1 and 2 for british soliders if it was getting to them they just had a stiff drink and got on with it, its the same with the russian soliders, constantly drinking vodka. It certainly isnt right to drug your soliders, but they should have accepted that they were going to see death etc when they joined the army, thats their job....even if they shouldnt be there in the first place.
SubjectiveC, on 06/06/2008, -5/+14Digg can get so bizarre sometimes. First diggers complain the troops don't get medical treatment because Bush and the army doesn't care about any of them, now they say the troops are all pussies who get "mind altering" drugs to keep them behaved. I don't think this kind of treatment is adequate or preferable over terminating a soldier's tour when it's done and not sending them into harm's way without reason, but this is far from a shocking Orwellian nightmare.

Wanna hear something worse? The Air Force uses speed: http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2003/02/5 ...
- Barackalypse, on 06/06/2008, -2/+4One time on Family Ties Alex tried speed because he had a lot going on at school and stuff and needed the energy. Well, he was really using diet pills from his fat friend and he didn't know it was speed, but his dad set him straight. His dad used to be a hippie so he knows all about drugs. Anyway, Alex stopped using it and suffered no further ill effects from it.
Barackalypse, on 06/06/2008, -1/+17The military has always been medicated. Back in the old days they used booze. Now they have antidepressants and booze. War sucks. Lets end this one and be careful about the next one we start.
- anstice85, on 06/06/2008, -0/+2Yeah, but you get drunk and the most you have to deal with is a hangover the next morning. You take anti-depressants and you can go through chemical withdrawal (suicidal rebound depression) lasting up to an entire year. It's not the same :(
MissDigg, on 06/06/2008, -4/+1hmm
DangerCollie, on 06/06/2008, -2/+8Just short of half (40%) of the suicides were taking SSRI's. And suicides are up year over year. Doctors have to be careful prescribing anti-depressants for teenagers because it raises their suicide risk. But it's okay for the Army to give kids those drugs. Anybody see a problem with that?

When it comes to making mission goals, the military will always find a justification. So there are a few extra suicides. There's no downside for them. Families can't sue, individuals can't sue. The military has no liability if they kill you or get you killed, even if it's negligent. You sign the papers, you become government property. They own you.
kublerross, on 06/06/2008, -0/+16sounds like this soldier has too much of a conscience for today's military. we can fix that

"When you search someone's house, you have it built up in your mind that these guys are terrorists, but when you go in, there's little bitty tiny shoes and toys on the floor — things like that started affecting me a lot more than I thought they would."
- boot20, on 06/06/2008, -1/+11It's worse when you are being told kill the animals and then you realize the animals are actually just like you....
LoneRanger85, on 06/06/2008, -2/+4It's about TIME they came up with drugs suitable to HELP our troops and not just for neurotic housewives.
WilliamDavis, on 06/06/2008, -0/+11I thought drugs were bad. Doesn't the US have military in South America killing people over drugs?
LoneRanger85, on 06/06/2008, -7/+5Isn't it interesting how an article disparaging the military that was posted less than a day ago....BAM!.... ends up at the top of the first page? No secret where you digger kids' priorities are.
YodaJones, on 06/06/2008, -1/+9A medicated army is a obedient army.
warlokaz2004, on 06/06/2008, -0/+4another part of the bush legacy -- an entire generation of 'juiced' soldiers. And when these guys come home, it'll take more than a hug and a "Hey, I'm sorry the hippies treated you so bad" ; you'll be dealing with a combination of PTSD *and* drug withdrawal -- not a happy picture.
mrjoshua28, on 06/06/2008, -4/+1Did I read it wrong, or did it say that about 12-17 percent take them? I'm sure a bigger percentage of civilians take them. What's the problem?
- Bushlied, on 06/06/2008, -0/+3Because on any other given day if your on meds, your not training or your out of the military. Drugged soldiers mean dead soldiers.
mayhemchaos, on 06/06/2008, -2/+6How do you destroy a nation? Send out all the strong, brave men and women to war. Then slowly begin an invasion with: illegals, terrorits, drug lords, etc. I did 8yrr - glad to be out of there!
- USNavyBlue, on 06/06/2008, -0/+2You hit the nail on the head, although most people on this board will not get what you just said. What ever happened to "just war"? That is where America has slipped from. A nation should only attack another nation if and ONLY if they have directly attacked the first nation. Pearl Harbor is an example.
  - mayhemchaos, on 06/06/2008, -0/+2it doesn't help is it was *potentially* and inside job. At the least, allowed to happen as a pretext to get us where we are today.
Bushlied, on 06/06/2008, -0/+6If you feed them enough drugs, corrupt morality, reality and conscience are not even a factor anymore.
wynja, on 06/06/2008, -0/+9So instead of soldiers coming back addicted to heroin this time, we'll have soldiers addicted to prescription drugs. Not surprising considering that it's perfectly acceptable to have to eat 3 Valium every day, but if you light a joint in the afternoon to wind down your ass is going in the slammer.
erranttv, on 06/06/2008, -0/+3A relative of mine currently serving in Iraq will not ask for the medication she needs (anti-anxiety) because word will get around the base and stigma will be attached.
- SubjectiveC, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Reading this thread, it's no wonder why she thinks that. "Soldiers are getting juiced on SSRIs!" : |
soinie, on 06/06/2008, -0/+2If your taking prozac you can't join the military, but if you're in th military you can take prozac. Isn't that the definition of catch 22?
- eluusive, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Yeah... I was thinking the same thing.
- SubjectiveC, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1It's not, because there's no "catch". You can join the army if you don't use Prozac. Once you join, you can.
- BlacklabelSAR, on 06/07/2008, -0/+1Hypocrisy actually.
Tahiri, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Nector from Haze is an anti-depressant...
- SubjectiveC, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1Too bad the game is depressing. *rim shot*
KnightHawk2277, on 06/07/2008, -0/+0Antidepressants make you apathetic and erase your emotions.... They give them these drugs so they will no longer care the war is corrupt and unjust. They don't want free thinking people in our military. They want mindless zombies that follow orders without question.
gavcomedy, on 06/17/2008, -0/+0and make slimy psychologists lots of drug money for doing squuat
sagenhoney, on 06/26/2008, -0/+1--"We'd been doing some heavy missions, and things were starting to bother me," LeJeune says--

Yea, "things" probably should bother you...as well as the American people at home. Troops have endured lots of pain and anguish in every war - esp. this one. Drugs are not the answer - but I understand why a soldier would reach such a point (and I am casting no blame there).
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America's Medicated Army - TIME

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