Nidal Malik Hasan: His own patient?

November 6, 10:29 AMDetroit Substance Abuse ExaminerMichael Velardo

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  Major Nidal Malik Hasan is the shooter responsible
   for slaughtering 13 people and wounding 31 others

Nidal Malik Hasan, the army major responsible for slaughtering 13 unarmed people, and wounding 43, (34 of them shot), on Thursday the 5th of November at Fort Hood military base in Killeen, TX,  may have been treating himself with psychotropic medications.

The major was about to deploy overseas, and didn't make it a secret that he was dissatisfied with the move. According to retired Army Col. Terry Lee, Major Hasan frequently argued with military personnel about their support of the wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and tried to weasel out of of his pending deployment, according to Fox News in Dallas.

The Huffington Post reported that soldiers deployed overseas used to be given an anti-malarial drug called mefloquine, but in 2002 three soldiers murdered their wifes, and the drug took the heat for possibly causing their behavior. The drug has serious side-effects including psychotic behavior. Vanity Fair's Maureen Orth did a story on the Fort Bragg murders in 2002.

It would also be interesting to see whether Major Hasan was being given this drug as he was about to be deployed overseas. Given his already suspect behavior, this may have sent him over the edge.

Major Hasan was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he was pursuing his career in psychiatry.  According to My Fox Dallas Fort Worth, "While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some "difficulties" that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time."Hasan was eventually transferred to Fort Hood in Texas.

Is it possible Nidal Hasan was on medication to cope with the troubled feelings, and thoughts he was having in relation to the patients he was seeing at Walter Reed? Dr. Geiger could have placed the major on some type of psychotropic drugs, such as antidepressants, at the time. Major Hasan could also have been taking medication on his own accord, being a doctor, and psychiatrist, it wouldn't be that difficult to obtain the drugs. If the Major was taking any of the medications with warnings of increased risk of suicide attached to their use, could this have pushed him over the edge as well?

Psychiatry and senseless violence

Major Hasan never saw combat, but instead was impacted by his patient's experiences in, and out of combat. Would people understand it more had Major Hasan been involved directly with the war, as in combat situations, and been subjected to gruesome experiences that led to him going "Postal?" Or, are people reacting in a knee-jerk fashion because of his religion, and terrorist-like qualities of his actions as proof that Major Hasan had his own personal Jihad in effect?

From this side of the desk it sure looks like a Jihad, smells like a Jihad, and walks like a Jihad. So what do you call someone who quacks, and walks like a duck? Not a pigeon. Major Hasan probably had an agenda, despite the possibility he was taking medication.

Unfortunately, all of this is speculation, and we won't know all of the details for a while yet. It would be telling to know whether Major Hasan was on drugs at the time of the rampage. Not to excuse his behavior, but as a way to highlight the increased mental disorders military personnel are suffering, including substance abuse problems. However, if Hasan had an agenda, then of course, what difference does it make whether he was taking drugs or not? He would have carried out the deed regardless.

Of course, if the military doesn't start addressing the increased mental health problems surfacing these past few years within the ranks, and increased substance abuse problems, as well as a high soldier, and veteran suicide rate, (16 in October alone), we might be in for more troubles of this nature in the very near future.

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UPDATE - OBAMA SPEAKS AT FORT HOOD 11-10-09  3:30pm (Washington Post)

If you or a loved one needs help with any type of drug problem, contact these sites depending on where you live. SEMCA (Wayne County residents), CARE (Macomb County residents), PACE (Oakland County residents), Drug Free Detroit (City of Detroit residents). For those residing outside the State of Michigan, contact SAMHSA for assistance.

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Nidal Malik Hasan: His own patient? by Michael Velardo, aka Crash Test Addict is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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