Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan — 300,000 in all — report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
In addition, researchers found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression.
Many service members said they do not seek treatment for psychological illnesses because they fear it will harm their careers. But even among those who do seek help for PTSD or major depression, only about half receive treatment that researchers consider “minimally adequate” for their illnesses…
“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, a nonprofit research organization. “Unless they receive appropriate and effective care for these mental health conditions, there will be long-term consequences for them and for the nation. Unfortunately, we found there are many barriers preventing them from getting the high-quality treatment they need.”
Another cost of Bush’s War ignored beforehand – and since – by our grand imperial chickenhawks.
How did this 1-in-5 PTSDs work out for WWII & Korean vets?
RBG
More psycho-babble. “report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression,”
Homosexuality used to be classified as a mental disorder. No science here, just create a definition so you can sell some drugs.
Great, another war with jarhead vets going nuts and killing people 5 years after they get home.
#18 No, is not. In a few years time, a hord picketing against labeling them as ill will happen. Then, it will be called a disorder no more. Mark my words.
See? #22 got it. Next up, we’ll be sending therapists to the inquisition.
When you’ve murdered as many women, children and civilians as our “heroes” have, post traumatic stress disorder, otherwise known as a severe case of “guilty conscienceitis”. is what you generally get.
#25 how many cases of this post trumatic stress disorder were found on those attacking the US forces? Do you have that number?
And don’t come saying that there are none becuase they commit suicide.
Pedro==you are posting on both sides of the issue==both for and against the “reality” of PTSD.
When vets starting with Vietnam have argued for the category in order to get additional medical care, I haven’t seen any organized group come out against it==except neocon/chickhawks wanting to avoid the cost.
What “idea” is it that you are championing?
I champion vets should get all the care they need, and in order to do that, error on the side of wasting money.
#27 The ones I made negating the existance of PTSD were sarcastic.
I was trying to makes parallels
with other similar situations and was successful into catching some flies with it.
On #26 I lost my temper (thanks to jetlag, maybe) and turned cynical.
For the record, I’m on the same page you are.
Pedro==I feel for you. Humor, especially sarcasm does not come across without a helpful note–and why do that since we know what we are talking about? Maybe color coded type would solve this?
Killing civilians, eating tainted Halliburton food and drinking tainted Halliburton water adds up to PTSD in my book.
Killing massive numbers of civilians, eating tainted Halliburton food and drinking tainted Halliburton water adds up to PTSD in my book.
I should have RTFA, I thought PTSD stood for “Police That Shit Donuts.”
look you can’t blame a president for PTSD because if you do your an idiot. before i joined the military i was informed about this. and its not like this disorder just started. there is documentation of this ranging as far back as the civil war, it was called soldier’s heart, then in WWI combat fatigue, then WWII gross stress reaction,Nam post-Vietnam syndrome. so why don’t you read a book before saying something dumb because your son or daughter did not see a therapist. and yes i did suffer from PTSD until i talked to a therapist for like a week.
I just want to say ive had plenty of friends deployed and 2 are dead. I know one thing is for damn sure, everybody who thinks they have the right to use dead soldiers as a means to further their political goals should not do so. My politics is neutral, yet politics starts wars, politics should not be involved in it.
People saying great, more people dead thanks to Bush, those soldiers who died definitely do not want people using their death to badmouth somebody, to me, its all crap. People like that need to grow up, do research, and realize one person alone cannot wage war on a nation without permission from congress, who everybody voted for. So i ask, please stop using brave americans deaths’ for you to badmouth.
I have recently done some study into PTSD. You will find a lot of stories about how returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered from PTSD and how there are large groups that go untreated. What great insight into the issues that can arise for soldiers. I have also been delving into some great works by into PTSD, he really gives a detailed account of what PTSD is, its history and the symptoms of PSTD. Great piece Hoffman, I recommend that you and your readers have a look at Dr. Prout’s, Post traumatic stress disorder, a clinicians guide, publication along with his other extensive works, at http://www.mauriceprout.com
I JUST HATE WAR AS WAR HATE US !!!