Senator Asks About Troops’ Meds Use

A U.S. senator wants to know if American warfighters are being overmedicated in theater as a way to help them -- and the military -- get through the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The military appears to be using antidepressants at a very high rate," said Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., during a podcast interview with Military.com. "The concern is that when in a battleground situation you don’t always have the type of supervision … of these drugs that are recommended."

Listen to Military.com's podcast interview with Senator Ben Cardin.

And given the young ages of troops being given the drugs, he said, "there are potential adverse consequences that cannot adequately be monitored in theater."

Cardin recently asked the Pentagon for an official tally of just how many troops in combat may be on antidepressants.  In a Nov. 10 letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Cardin ordered the Defense Department to "compile and provide to may office a report identifying the estimated number and percentage of troops since June 2005 who have been prescribed antidepressant medications while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Cardin said it is well known that troops are under increased stress and strain from pulling multiple deployments, often with short dwell times at home in between. The suicide rate has also been climbing among troops since the wars began -- for instance, the number of Soldiers taking their own lives in 2009 has already equaled that of the total for 2008.

Cardin said people on such medications have to be supervised by medical personnel, but he is concerned that troops in combat, being on the move, may not be getting the proper attention.

"The bottom line is we want to protect our troops. We want to protect our Soldiers and their families," he told Military.com.

He said he wants Congress and the Defense Department to work together to provide the best care for the deployed troops.

"My request for Secretary Gates is, let’s take a look at this … not to draw any conclusions, but let’s evaluate as to whether we’re using … antidepressants" appropriately.

A statement on Cardin’s official website reads:  "As a nation we ask so much of our men and women in uniform without knowing the full extent of the mental trauma inflicted by combat.  We can take steps to limit multiple deployments and extended separations, but we also must work to remedy the strains and deteriorating mental health of so many of our combat troops.  It is imperative that we determine if DoD is prescribing  anti-depressants to its servicemembers appropriately.  My concern is not the long-term efficacy of these drugs, but the sheer volume and manner in which these drugs are being administered to our troops overseas."

Read Senator Cardin’s letter to Secretary of Defense Gates.