Gates launches push on treatment for combat stress

FORT BLISS, Texas (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the army's senior enlisted leaders Thursday to encourage soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to seek help for "the unseen scars of war."

It was part of a broader push by Gates to break down ingrained stigma in the military that have prevented returning soldiers from getting treatment for post traumatic stress disorder.

Gates said soldiers will no longer have to say they have sought treatment for combat-related mental health problems in applying for security clearances, which studies have found is a common barrier to getting treatment.

"The most important thing now is to get the word out as far as we can to every man, woman in uniform to let them know about this change, to let them know the efforts underway to remove the stigma," he told reporters at this west Texas army base.

Gates ...