Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced former and current military and civilian personnel who received mental health counseling while on active duty no longer have to acknowledge that fact when they fill out security clearance forms. The only exception to this rule is if the treatment was court ordered or if the problem involved violence.
"The most important thing for us now is to get the word out as far as we can to every man and woman in uniform to let them know about this change, to let them know about the efforts underway, to remove the stigma and to encourage them to seek help when they are in the theater or when they return from the theater," Gates said.
According to a Rand study, almost 20 percent of servicemen who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, bot only about 50 percent went through therapy.
The amendment is an offshoot of a study released Wednesday by the American Psychiatric Association that 6 of 10 servicemen have expressed apprehension seeking assistance for mental health problems would have a negative impact on their careers.
