Common sense prevails in the military?

This morning I was greeted by this story on CNN (I don’t know why I watch it anymore, the lack of real news is astounding) in which they were talking about the shocking (!!!) results of a new study which says that soldiers are reluctant to seek help for mental health problems because they think they will negatively impact their careers.  The announcer was asking how this could possibly be the case and the interviewee wasn’t particularly insightful, just saying that the military was increasingly encouraging soldiers to seek help.

To anyone in the military however, the answer is very clear.  Doors definitely close if you report any instance of mental health issues.  I’ve seen outstanding soldiers denied the opportunity to become officers because at some point in their past (even years earlier) they sought out help for depression or other conditions.  Evaluations by doctors that the problem(s) are under control or no longer remain are irrelevant.

Also, security clearances can be delayed or rejected if the applicant has a history of seeking treatment for mental health issues.  That strikes right at the heart of a soldier’s career since some jobs require a clearance as a prerequisite and in any case they are required as one reaches the senior levels of non-commissioned officer.

It was therefore nice to see that Defense Secretary Gates is about to announce that he’s changing the questionnaire for security clearances so that soldiers will not be required to reveal if they sought help for wartime related mental health issues.  It’s that sort of practical measure that is infinitely more effective than countless press releases and public statements.

And as an aside, let me express my extreme displeasure again at U.S. based news websites that often write stories about studies and reports and then don’t link to the source document.  The BBC doesn’t seem to have a problem placing a few related outside links to each story, why can’t CNN or MSNBC?