In the military, the battle against mental health awareness continues

Fort Drum, a U.S. Army base in northern New York state, has become the epicenter of the military's mental-health ignorance.

A critical report on the mental health care provided at Fort Drum highlighted previously identified shortcomings and incorrectly characterized other facets of support being provided to soldiers, according to The Associated Press.

The report released Wednesday by Veterans for America cited problems with understaffing, a reliance on self-reporting of mental health problems and a prevailing attitude at the company level that treats mental health issues in an atmosphere of secrecy.

It also claimed that some soldiers had to wait up to two months before they were seen by doctors, according to The Associated Press.

"Are our processes as effective as we would like? No, but we're working hard and we remain fully committed as an Army and post to address our soldiers and family needs," Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, the division commander, told the wire service. "Helping our soldiers overcome the challenges of continued service in a time of war remains one of our top priorities."

Among its recommendations, the report urged Fort Drum to establish more proactive mental health screening and treatment capabilities, according to The Associated Press.

Oates noted that the post has a permanent mental health staff of four psychiatrists, six psychologists, three registered psychiatric nurses and four licensed clinical social workers.

The report was based on interviews with a dozen unnamed soldiers.

"While we don't believe 12 random soldiers represent a valid sample of our entire population, we do agree that our soldiers are having challenges," Lt. Col. Paul Swiergosz, the division spokesman, told The Associated Press. "We welcome the opinions of outside interest groups, but we're more interested in well-researched solutions to these problems."