[Sosfbay-discuss] Nearly 1 in 5 troops has mental problems after war service

[Drew Johnson]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/troops_mental_health

Nearly 1 in 5 troops has mental problems after war service

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 5 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Roughly one in every five U.S. troops who have survived the
bombs and other dangers of Iraq and Afghanistan now suffers from major
depression or post-traumatic stress, an independent study said Thursday.
It estimated the toll at 300,000 or more.
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As many or more report possible brain injuries from explosions or other
head wounds, said the study, the first major survey from outside the
government.

Only about half of those with mental health problems have sought
treatment. Even fewer of those with head injuries have seen doctors.

Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said the report, from the Rand Corp.,
was welcome.

"They're helping us to raise the visibility and the attention that's
needed by the American public at large," said Schoomaker, a lieutenant
general. "They are making this a national debate."

The researchers said 18.5 percent of current and former service members
contacted in a recent survey reported symptoms of depression or
post-traumatic stress. Based on Pentagon data that more than 1.6 million
have deployed to the two wars, the researchers calculated that about
300,000 are suffering mental health problems.

Nineteen percent — or an estimated 320,000 — may have suffered head
injuries, the study calculated. Those range from mild concussions to
severe, penetrating head wounds.

"There is a major health crisis facing those men and women who have served
our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Terri Tanielian, the project's
co-leader and a researcher at Rand. "Unless they receive appropriate and
effective care for these mental health conditions, there will be long-term
consequences for them and for the nation."

The study, the first large-scale, private assessment of its kind, includes
a survey of 1,965 service members across the country, from all branches of
the armed forces and including those still in the military as well
veterans who have completed their service. The Iraq war has been notable
for the repeat tours required of many troops, sometimes for longer than a
year at a time.

The results of the study appear consistent with mental health reports from
within the government, though the Defense Department has not released the
number of people it has diagnosed or who are being treated for mental
problems.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said this month that its records show
about 120,000 who served in the two wars and are no longer in the military
have been diagnosed with mental health problems. Of those, about 60,000
are suffering from post-traumatic stress, and depression runs a close
second.

Veterans Affairs is responsible for care of service members after they
have leave the military. The Defense Department covers active duty and
reservist needs.

The lack of numbers from the Pentagon was one motivation for the Rand
study, Tanielian said in an interview.

The most prominent and detailed Pentagon study on the military's mental
health that is released regularly to the public is the Army's survey of
soldiers, taken annually at the battle zones since 2003.

The most recent one, last fall, found 18.2 percent of Army soldiers
suffered mental health problems such as depression, anxiety or acute
stress in 2007, compared with 20.5 percent the previous year.

Other studies have variously estimated that 10 percent to 20 percent of
troops had symptoms of mental health problems.

Col. Loree Sutton, who heads a new Pentagon center on brain injury, said
the Rand study will add to the work defense officials are doing. That
includes researching best practices used inside the military and out,
improving and expanding training and prevention programs, adding mental
health staff and trying to change a military culture in which many troops
are afraid or embarrassed to get mental health treatment.

"We've got to get the word out that seeking help is a sign of strength,"
Sutton said.

She said officials have been working to add thousands more mental health
professionals to help the uniformed psychiatrists, psychologists and
others struggling to meet the wartime demands of troops and their
families. Across the services, officials are trying to hire over 1,000
additional staff. Also, companies providing health care by contract to the
Pentagon have added over 3,000 in the past year, and the U.S. Public
Health Service has provided some 200, she said. Veterans Affairs has added
some 3,800 professionals in the past couple of years, officials there
said.

In other survey results:

_About 7 percent of those polled reported both a probable brain injury and
current post-traumatic stress or major depression.

_Rates of post-traumatic stress and major depression were highest among
women and reservists.

_About 53 percent of service members with post-traumatic stress or
depression sought help over the past year, and 43 percent reported being
evaluated by a physician for their head injuries at some time.

_They gave various reasons for not getting help, including that they
worried about the side effects of medication, they believed family and
friends could help them with the problem, or they feared seeking care
might damage their careers.

The Army's own warfront survey found the stigma associated with getting
help has been decreasing slowly but steadily in recent years.

Thursday's report was titled "Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and
Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery."
It was sponsored by a grant from the California Community Foundation and
done by researchers from Rand Health and the Rand National Security
Research Division. The division also has done work under contracts with
the Pentagon and other defense agencies as well as allied foreign
governments and foundations.

___

On the Net:

Rand Corporation: http://www.rand.org

Army studies: http://www.armymedicine.army.mil