In the military's pre-deployment screening process, soldiers are asked to complete a personal survey which contains only one mental-health question --Question 7. It asks: "During the past year have you sought counseling or care for your mental health?" The Hartford Courant analyzed data from more than 900,000 questionnaires and discovered that only a fraction of soldiers answered "yes" to question 7. Among those who did disclose past psychological treatment, however, nearly all were ultimately deployed. Journalists Lisa Chedekel and Matt Kauffman dig deep to find a military mental health system facing signs of battle fatigue. They revealed that some soldiers needing mental health assistance while on active duty are falling through the cracks, and others with post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental illnesses are being sent back for additional tours. (Updated Program)
Funders for Exposé: America's Investigative Reports include: Anderson Family Charitable Fund, The Jacob Burns Foundation, The Betsy & Jesse Fink Foundation, Philip Harper, Park Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Bernard & Irene Schwartz, and Tracy & Eric Semler.