Military, Docs Talk Hardships Of Soldier Support

FORT MEADE, Md. - WBALTV.com

At Fort Meade, they held a moment of silence on Friday for those who were killed and wounded during a mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, and military officials said they're finding out how to better support soldiers and their families.

Dr. Maria Mouratidis said she knows the stress of handling the emotional needs of soldiers. She previously worked in the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda as a civilian psychologist.

During a Maryland Psychological Association seminar in Columbia on Friday, she discussed post-traumatic stress syndrome.

"The level of intensity, the unpredictability, the element that you're caring for people who, for your own freedom, they put themselves in harm's way -- is overwhelming, and in the moment, you do whatever you have to do to care for them," she said.

She spoke about the shooting at Fort Hood in which Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is accused of killing more than a dozen people. Questions remain as to whether signs were missed about his emotional state.

"There's really no clinical or imperical way to determine who's going to behave in such an extreme fashion," Mouratidis said.

Hasan had reportedly not wanted to be deployed, but according to Fort Meade's Col. Christopher Castle, that's generally what those who sign up to be in the military should expect from the start.

"They raised their right hand and swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Of course, you're going to take into account anybody who really can't go or shouldn't go … but everybody's got to do what they signed up to do," he said.

Doctors at Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center in Fort Meade said that before, during and after deployment, military personnel are evaluated.

Clinical Psychologist Capt. Ada Rodriguez spent a year in Iraq. She said it's difficult to shift gears from before you leave, once you're deployed and when you return.

"The most frustrating part for people that just hits them like a brick wall is that it takes time, and you've missed them for so long that you just want everything to go back to normal as soon as possible, and it takes time, but it gets there," she said.

The military branch said it is also going to reevaluate the mental health care it provides.

"It's definitely an adjustment to go from being a soldier 24/7 to then coming home and being mom or dad, or whatever it is that your job is when you come back," Rodriguez said.

Army's officials said the issues military members can deal with vary from stress, depression and substance abuse. The Army plans to hire an additional 350 substance abuse counselors because of that.

About 30 percent of soldiers who come back from deployment will experience some behavioral health issues, military officials said. It may take three to six months before problems can start.

For those giving the care, the pressure can be overwhelming.

"I have fundamentally changed as a doctor, as a teacher and as human being after having sat with thousands of our returning warriors and their families," Mouratidis said.

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