Mental health services for the military

CEDARVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) - The massacre at Fort Hood hits close to home for a Greene County air force clinical psychologist.

Cedarville University's Dr. Milton Beck served in a similar position at Wright Patt, and knows the stresses of military mental health care first hand.

Becknell said even if you can spot the warning signs of stress, this is something no professional could prepare for or predict.-

"One would think a mental health professional with this level of education would be a little better protected with their insight and treating people with these issues. I'm hard pressed to explan why this can happen," said Becknell.

The lack of mental health counselors was an on-going problem that both the military and Department of Veterans affairs had been trying to resolve.

The latest incident at Fort Hood highlighted the need. Major Nidal Malik Hasan was said to be extremely stressed out about his upcoming deployment. Being a mental health counselor who helped other soldiers, he was still unable to prevent himself from going over the edge.

"It's a reminder that each of us is human. When we're exposed to enough stress we can behave in ways that are self destructive, and destructive to others. It's inexplicable in reality," said Becknell.