By early February, in accordance with a observe in Valley’s medical information, his firm management was knowledgeable that he was exhibiting depressive signs and suicidal ideation, however Valley nonetheless acquired no formal behavioral-health counseling. As an alternative, Fritch and one other soldier informed me, a few of Valley’s squadmates have been instructed to keep watch over him. They did one of the best they may, ensuring Valley ate his meals with them and went with them in the event that they left the bottom to exit on the town.
One weekend, certainly one of Valley’s buddies managed to get them weekend go away, they usually went to Berlin. Throughout that journey, he appeared like his previous self, his good friend says. They went clubbing, obtained drunk and visited Checkpoint Charlie, the well-known Chilly Conflict border crossing between East and West Berlin. After they obtained again, he appeared higher, his good friend says. He even talked about enrolling in faculty so he might grow to be an officer. However after a number of weeks, he was down once more.
In early March, Valley’s girlfriend broke up with him. Valley, in accordance with a lot of his mates, had a tough time accepting it. Round this similar time, he was taken off mirtazapine and placed on the antidepressant Celexa. Valley had been complaining that the mirtazapine not labored for him, however there are not any notes in Valley’s medical information that specify why this swap was made or if the prescriber was conscious of Valley’s psychiatric historical past.
Both manner, a number of Military behavioral well being care specialists I spoke with discovered the selection of Celexa troubling, as it’s a part of the category of antidepressants that comes with a black-box warning, as a result of it might probably improve suicidal considering in some younger sufferers. “I’d argue {that a} 21-year-old soldier who has a historical past of suicidal ideation and continues to be adjusting to a brand new setting warrants a better look earlier than placing them on that drug,” says one B.H. officer knowledgeable of the small print of the case.
“I’m shedding my thoughts,” Valley texted certainly one of his sergeants a couple of week after beginning the Celexa. He begged for assist: “I would like an precise B.H. particular person.” On March 9, after three months of asking for remedy, Valley was lastly given an appointment with Melissa Samio, one of many two B.H. suppliers embedded with the unit, who was now stationed in Bulgaria. Samio hadn’t seen Valley since she requested his waiver at Fort Riley in November. Now, throughout a video session, Samio requested Valley how he was feeling. “Actually, actually shitty, ma’am,” he mentioned, in accordance with her notes. He informed her about his breakup and mentioned that he had considered suicide that morning. “Every little thing’s falling aside,” he informed Samio. Concluding that he was an “intermediate danger” for suicide, Samio issued a brand new 30-day profile that barred him from carrying or firing a weapon. After the session, she reached out to the battalion major care officer to rearrange for Valley to be evaluated in particular person. The officer, Samio later famous, by no means known as her again.
