The American Academy of Pediatrics recently did a study on military families.  They found that one in four children had symptoms of depression.  One in three worried excessively and half of the children in the study had trouble sleeping.  It goes on to stress that pediatricians or other health care providers must be aware of the mental health needs of these children whose parent(s) are on active duty in the military.  Anyone reading about this study needs to read between the lines and see what is really being put forth. 
First of all, there is no need to be aware of any mental health needs of a military family.  A child with a parent overseas on military duty would be expected to worry about his parent.  The child probably knows that the mom or dad is in a dangerous place and that there is a chance that he or she may not come home alive.  Worried, sad and trouble sleeping would be perfectly normal for a child in this situation.  In fact, having no concerns or worries at all would be unusual.  
Of course some kids cope quite well and others do not.  Some military families are under stress in varying degrees when someone is on a tour of duty.  Some families are also under stress for different reasons that have nothing to do with the military.  Perhaps someone is very sick, perhaps someone lost their job, perhaps the parents aren’t getting along very well.  These examples all affect a child’s well-being.  This does not mean that the ones that cope well are normal and the ones that don’t cope well have a mental health issue.           
However, the message from the field of psychiatry these days is that what most would consider normal behavior is now named as a “mental disorder.” Children that argue with adults have Oppositional Defiant Disorder.  If you shop too much or use the internet a lot, then those actions are official “mental disorders.”  If that’s not far-fetched enough for you, then how about Caffeine Induced Sleep Disorder?  If you drink coffee and then have trouble sleeping, obviously the caffeine is keeping you awake.  However, psychiatry says it’s a “mental disorder.”   It wouldn’t be surprising if some “military disorder” was named in the near future catering to those military families.  
Instead of saying that children may need some extra love, understanding and support when a family member is on active duty, the American Academy of Pediatrics is suggesting via their study that mental health treatment may be needed.  They have put forth that various behaviors are warning signs of mental health conditions when sadness, anxiety, fear and worry are typical emotions for this situation.  Their advice is that health care providers need to be aware of the military family’s stressful life so that they can guide them appropriately.  
In the field of mental health, to guide appropriately means to diagnose a “disorder” and then prescribe psychotropic drugs to treat it.  These drugs interfere with the functions of the brain.  There are serious adverse side effects such as agitation, hostility, anger, mood instability, tics, violence and even suicide.  Some side effects such as depression, sleep disturbances and anxiety are some of things one would be trying to potentially treat in military families, but the drugs only make the symptoms worse. 
The biggest problem with all this is that these drugs are not treating any biological condition.  They are not treating real medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease or anything else because they have no scientific test to locate and identify the problem.  Instead, “mental disorders” are voted into existence to sell psychotropic drugs.  This is called diseasemongering and is a typical tool of pharmaceutical companies.   
Drug companies need to sell drugs, so if a new “disease” or “disorder” is “discovered,” then obviously there are more opportunities to sell people drugs.  According to this study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, military families are on the verge of being good customers.   
At this point, one may wonder why the American Academy of Pediatrics is sending the message that military families may need mental health services.  The American Academy of Pediatrics supports the criteria for the “mental disorders” listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) that is used by psychiatry and other health care providers to diagnose.  The field of psychiatry has created a relationship with this kind of group in the medical establishment in order to look more credible.  The American Academy of Pediatrics and psychiatry have joined forces to push mental health services onto children.  Obviously, this has financial benefits for both. 
Whether part of a military family or not, it would be wise to do your own research and see how psychiatry is unnecessarily medicating all walks of life.  If you find you or your family’s mental health being questioned, ask for the scientific test that supports the evaluation or diagnosis given.  Don’t fall for the opinions regarding “mental disorder” symptoms.  Ask for the science.
 
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/05/27/military-families-may-need-help-with-mental-health 
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/05/the-unholy-alliance-between-psychiatrists-and-psychotropic-drugs-36-000-deaths-a-year.aspx 
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/04/27/are-you-finally-catching-on-to-phony-diseases.aspx 
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/5/1007.full