On Nov. 5, 2009 an armed gunman opened fire inside the Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Center. Twelve people were killed and thirty were wounded. The attacks came at a time when some of the soldiers of that post were in their final days before departing for battlefield. This and more are believed to have caused Major Nidal Malik Hasan to go over the edge and open gunfire on the soldiers and civilians inside.

Hasan, an army psychiatrist and Virginia Tech graduate, had shown suspicious behavior in the months preceding the shooting, but this information was not shared between the proper agencies. He was being investigated by the FBI and other agencies for his postings on a blog that discussed terrorist activities, suicide bombings, and threats against American soldiers. The FBI was also investigating and according to ABC News, attempting to make contact with Al-Qaeda. His precise reason for committing this atrocity is not currently known, but he was being deployed to Iraq with his unit. His emails to his constituents said, “ I can’t wait to join you in the afterlife.” When police searched his apartment they found that even his business cards were labeled with SoA, meaning Servant of Allah. This is not unusual, but it raises some questions when an American Army officer has this.

The Fort Hood shooting is making the military take another look at the mental health of some of its soldiers. This comes at a time when nearly 20 percent of returning soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq are diagnosed with PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD can occur after a person has seen or experienced something very traumatic, disturbing, or life threatening. Someone who has PTSD can experience flashbacks, sensitivity to certain things that remind them of the incident, lack of interest in daily activities, emotional and physical numbness, sleeping problems, or hyper vigilance.

Major Hasan told authorities that he was deeply troubled about the things his patients had done while on combat duty and wanted them to be pressed for charges. A psychiatrist cannot divulge information to anyone because of doctor-patient confidentiality. When an Army psychiatrist goes on a shooting spree, it can only make matters worse for those seeking help with their mental health disorders.