RAND Corp. Study Says 300,000 U.S. Troops Suffer Mental Problems.
Jim Pence April 18th, 2008
(Cross posted at Hillbilly Report)
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 300,000 U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, but about half receive no care, an independent study said on Thursday.
The study by the RAND Corp. also estimated that another 320,000 troops have sustained a possible traumatic brain injury during deployment. But researchers could not say how many of those cases were serious or required treatment.
Billed as the first large-scale nongovernmental survey of its kind, the study found that stress disorder and depression afflict 18.5 percent of the more than 1.5 million U.S. forces who have deployed to the two war zones.Army Col. Loree Sutton, director of the U.S. Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, welcomed the study.
She was concerned at the finding that only about half of those who sought help received “minimally adequate” treatment and said it would spur the military to try harder to recruit more mental health specialists.
The Army wants to hire 275 civilian mental health professionals but a tight labor market and difficulties getting civilians into war zones has slowed the effort, officials say.
RAND, a private research organization, estimated that stress and depression among returning soldiers cost $6.2 billion in the two years following deployment, mainly due to lost productivity, medical costs and a higher risk of suicide. (Additional reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Alan Elsner and Will Dunham)
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- Afganistan , Iraq War , RAND Corp.
- Comments(1)
They told my generation to “Quit complaining and SUCK IT UP!”
These phony, flag waving, lapel pin wearing, magnetic ribbon flouting, buffoons who badmouthed John Edwards when he told them 100 THOUSAND American Vets were sleeping on the streets, and under viaducts and onramps, are the same ones who vote for those who cry “Support The Troops” and then vote against benefits for the troops.
How in the living hell can anyone with an IQ over 37 even consider voting for that flip flopping retard John Warmonger McCain???? The hypocrisy is beyond belief!!
McCain says we owe a debt to vets we can never repay the he repeatedly votes against them:
– Voted AGAINST an amendment providing $20 billion to the VA’s medical facilities. [5/4/06]
– Voted AGAINST providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care “and treatment for veterans,” one of only 13 senators to do so. [4/26/06]
– Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes. [3/14/06]
– Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending “abusive tax loopholes.” [3/10/04]
– Voted AGAINST a $650 million increase in veterans’ medical care funding. [8/1/01]
-McCain refused to support the 21st Century GI Bill