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Comment by Klathmon | Hacker News Reader

Now i'm about as far removed from this area as you can get, but would "mandatory counseling" be helpful?

Require that everyone get counseling all the time. I don't really have an answer for how "confidential" to keep those records (keeping them 100% confidential is fantastic, but I can also see the merit of knowing your soldier is mentally stable...), but at the very least requiring every single service member at least attend would put them in the room with a therapist and get them accustomed to talking about things.

I'm sure there would still be issues (like a "Has PTSD" checkbox that would cause the same result as you describe), but would it be a net positive?

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I would never open up to a therapist my employer forced me to go to. If anything, I'd self-pay an independent therapist and keep it off insurance so they wouldn't know.

How about if your health insurance provider forced you to go themselves, and were legally mandated to not tell your employer that they were doing so?

Your employer doesn't know how your insurance is used, so you can feel free to go to the therapist through your insurance all you want. Or did you meant that you'd keep it off the books so your _insurance_ wouldn't know? Why would they care?

I'm as far removed or more so but don't police have some form of this whenever they discharge their weapon? I realize that can't logistically happen very easily in a combat situation. I would at least hope there would be the option to talk to someone about it. Someone that doesn't pass judgment and just simply listens. I feel like in this scenario anything is better than nothing at all.

There are little questionnaires(online) throughout the year that might flag someone with any kinds of issues. Obviously, you can easily lie about it, then again so could you hide issues from your doctor. This a whole is a moot point. Culturally, there is awareness that intense situations like combat will mess one up mentally and are generally open to talk to a buddy or seek help.

That being said, like Tim Kennedy once said in regards to PTSD and dealing with stress its a world of difference for those who constantly train and deal with certain situations and have the infrastructure in place for them i.e- infantry & other combat arms jobs. Those who are not in those job fields aren't training for it, not mentally prepared, etc but might still be caught up in combat situations. i.e - the water specialist or accountant driving his little truck in Iraq.

To add to all this, its usually young men who commit suicide. Its just a thing they do. Which happens to be most of the military.

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