thedrifter
05-17-06, 07:40 AM
Marines wrote the book on how to manage combat stress
By DENNIS MAGEE, Courier Regional Editor
WATERLOO --- When a soldier's will or capacity to fight falters, the military relies on BICEPS to intervene.
The acronym stands for brevity, immediacy, centrality or contact --- depending on whether Marine Corps or Army --- expectancy, proximity and simplicity.
The U.S. Department of the Army approved the concept in 2000. And military personnel are expected to follow the policies when a person exhibits stress reactions related to combat. The intent is to ward off symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and to return the soldier to duty.
Brevity. Initial intervention doesn't need to take very long. Field Manual 6-22.5, a document distributed by the U.S. Marine Corps, suggests debriefing after a traumatic event should last no longer than two to three hours. Experience indicates most fighting men and women will be able to return to duty with a few words of encouragement, some sleep and decent food.
Those who do not respond receive additional care.
Immediacy. The idea is treatment must be available as soon as possible. Additional problems are likely if attention early is dismissed, denied or avoided. Which is why military leaders want enlisted personnel and officers to be able to recognize combat-operational stress reactions.
Centrality. If soldiers can't be treated within their unit, they should find care nearby to maintain contact with the chain of command. Unless absolutely necessary, they should not go into a hospital or other medical setting. Those might include a battalion or regimental headquarters or other logistical unit.
"The service member must be encouraged to continue to think of himself as a warfighter, rather than a patient or a sick person," according to the Marine Corps' manual.
The directive also encourages members of the unit to visit or send word that the soldier is needed.
Expectancy. The military wants soldiers exhibiting combat stress reactions treated as people enduring a normal response to an abnormal traumatic situation. Expect them to get better and in time many will.
Soldiers are encouraged to greet returning members of their unit as restored, capable individuals.
"Service members suffering and recovering from combat stress ... are no more likely to become overloaded again than are those who have not yet been overloaded. In fact, they are less likely to become overloaded than inexperienced replacements," according the Marines' manual.
Proximity. France and England discovered during World War I that soldiers with combat stress reactions who moved away from the front rarely returned.
"The more out of touch the Service member is with his unit, the less likely he will recover. He is more likely to develop a chronic psychiatric illness and get evacuated from the war," according to the Marines' manual.
So military officials want soldiers to stay as close to their units as possible. Proximity helps the person resolve the need to flee and the need to remain loyal to comrades left in harm's way.
Simplicity. Bolstering a soldier's mental state may require as little as a sound night's sleep, a good meal, a hot shower and some encouraging words.
The Marines' manual demands soldiers stay in uniform and keep their weapons, though perhaps not ammunition. The intent is "to reinforce service members' identity."
Early intervention does not include therapy in the clinical sense, but relies on what one source calls the four Rs.
--- Reassurance that the reaction to combat stress is normal;
--- Rest from combat and work;
--- Replenishment of first-order needs, meaning sleep, food, water and needs related to hygiene;
--- Restoring confidence.
Outcome
The Marines' manual offers information suggesting BICEPS can and does work.
Up to 85 percent of troops with combat-operational stress reactions --- if treated close to their units --- will return to duty within three days. Within two weeks, another 20 percent join their units.
The remaining 5 to 10 percent are evacuated. The manual notes, however, the soldiers in this minority group frequently have additional problems.
While treating soldiers suffering mental duress near the front or in combat zones may seem hard-hearted, the manual explains the military viewpoint.
"If evacuated, few combat stressed service members will return to duty. In fact, many are likely to be permanently disabled."
Contact Dennis Magee at (319) 291-1451 or dennis.magee@wcfcourier.com.
Ellie
By DENNIS MAGEE, Courier Regional Editor
WATERLOO --- When a soldier's will or capacity to fight falters, the military relies on BICEPS to intervene.
The acronym stands for brevity, immediacy, centrality or contact --- depending on whether Marine Corps or Army --- expectancy, proximity and simplicity.
The U.S. Department of the Army approved the concept in 2000. And military personnel are expected to follow the policies when a person exhibits stress reactions related to combat. The intent is to ward off symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and to return the soldier to duty.
Brevity. Initial intervention doesn't need to take very long. Field Manual 6-22.5, a document distributed by the U.S. Marine Corps, suggests debriefing after a traumatic event should last no longer than two to three hours. Experience indicates most fighting men and women will be able to return to duty with a few words of encouragement, some sleep and decent food.
Those who do not respond receive additional care.
Immediacy. The idea is treatment must be available as soon as possible. Additional problems are likely if attention early is dismissed, denied or avoided. Which is why military leaders want enlisted personnel and officers to be able to recognize combat-operational stress reactions.
Centrality. If soldiers can't be treated within their unit, they should find care nearby to maintain contact with the chain of command. Unless absolutely necessary, they should not go into a hospital or other medical setting. Those might include a battalion or regimental headquarters or other logistical unit.
"The service member must be encouraged to continue to think of himself as a warfighter, rather than a patient or a sick person," according to the Marine Corps' manual.
The directive also encourages members of the unit to visit or send word that the soldier is needed.
Expectancy. The military wants soldiers exhibiting combat stress reactions treated as people enduring a normal response to an abnormal traumatic situation. Expect them to get better and in time many will.
Soldiers are encouraged to greet returning members of their unit as restored, capable individuals.
"Service members suffering and recovering from combat stress ... are no more likely to become overloaded again than are those who have not yet been overloaded. In fact, they are less likely to become overloaded than inexperienced replacements," according the Marines' manual.
Proximity. France and England discovered during World War I that soldiers with combat stress reactions who moved away from the front rarely returned.
"The more out of touch the Service member is with his unit, the less likely he will recover. He is more likely to develop a chronic psychiatric illness and get evacuated from the war," according to the Marines' manual.
So military officials want soldiers to stay as close to their units as possible. Proximity helps the person resolve the need to flee and the need to remain loyal to comrades left in harm's way.
Simplicity. Bolstering a soldier's mental state may require as little as a sound night's sleep, a good meal, a hot shower and some encouraging words.
The Marines' manual demands soldiers stay in uniform and keep their weapons, though perhaps not ammunition. The intent is "to reinforce service members' identity."
Early intervention does not include therapy in the clinical sense, but relies on what one source calls the four Rs.
--- Reassurance that the reaction to combat stress is normal;
--- Rest from combat and work;
--- Replenishment of first-order needs, meaning sleep, food, water and needs related to hygiene;
--- Restoring confidence.
Outcome
The Marines' manual offers information suggesting BICEPS can and does work.
Up to 85 percent of troops with combat-operational stress reactions --- if treated close to their units --- will return to duty within three days. Within two weeks, another 20 percent join their units.
The remaining 5 to 10 percent are evacuated. The manual notes, however, the soldiers in this minority group frequently have additional problems.
While treating soldiers suffering mental duress near the front or in combat zones may seem hard-hearted, the manual explains the military viewpoint.
"If evacuated, few combat stressed service members will return to duty. In fact, many are likely to be permanently disabled."
Contact Dennis Magee at (319) 291-1451 or dennis.magee@wcfcourier.com.
Ellie