Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Captain Obvious Saves The Day!


OK - I'm NOT talking about the outrage I feel about the war...I think I've been pretty clear about my feelings on the subject.

The article I've linked to is basically something that (at least to ME) seems pretty elementary.

The headline?

"Mental illness common in returning soldiers"

Yep...it's right up there (which is where headlines should be...I learned something in my time at the junior high newspaper, you know).

But the thing is, isn't it OBVIOUS that returning soldiers would be suffering from some form of mental illness?

Come on. It's WAR, for God's sake, not a Tupperware party. You witness heinous things in war. You're separated from your loved ones. You're stuck in a different country with strange traditions, a language you can't understand, and going through extremes in every way. If you DIDN'T come out with a mental illness after all that, then I'd be surprised.

I guess I get ticked at articles like this because they're stating the obvious, and this isn't giving the public any new information. It's like saying "water is wet". Uh - YEAH. It is wet, and welcome to the brain trust...here's your complimentary Rubik's cube.

The other reason I get ticked off at articles like this is because this doesn't HELP the situation. Shouldn't a feature article like this not only say the problem is present, but how to help someone who's going through these problems? I'm sure that would be appreciated much more by friends and family than just saying that it exists. I remember being told that these kinds of things might happen to my first husband, but I wasn't told how to help him. Maybe I couldn't help, but it sure would have been nice to know either way.

So, this is my post and I'm grumpy and that's just the way it is here at Rancho Sudiegirl today.

grumble grumble grumble...