YouTube, MySpace Part of Pentagon's Mental Health Campaign
Senior military officers could be turning to YouTube and MySpace this year to chat about their emotional struggles.
It's part of a Pentagon campaign to urge troops into counseling for wartime mental problems. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced that the therapy won't "count against" troops when they apply for national security clearances.
The Defense Department is struggling to care for thousands of troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with emotional wounds. It's estimated that as many as 20 percent of the more than one and a-half million troops who've served in the wars suffer from various mental-health problems.
Top officials are encouraging senior officers and sergeants to come forward to tell their struggles in an effort to encourage servicemen and women to seek help. They'll be reaching out through such tools as YouTube, MySpace and podcasts.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
