Almost 20 pct veterans suffer from mental disorders

A study of the U.S. veterans who returned from the Iraq or Afghanistan war reveals that one in five veterans is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or major depression. But not more than roughly half have sought treatment, suggests the study.

The report, titled ‘Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery,’ was released by the Rand Corporation to throw some light on the obscure sufferings of people who serve the nation. The 500-page report was completed in January and the survey involved 1,965 service members across the country from all branches of the armed forces.

Nearly 20 percent or 300,000 U.S. troops had symptoms of mental problems; some 19 percent reported having experienced a possible traumatic brain injury in the war fields, and 7 percent suffered both of the two problems, according to the report.

Most veterans however, do not seek treatment because they said they fear it would harm their careers.

Only half of those who saw doctors were treated, but somehow in a way which was inadequate to solve their problems.

“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 the nonprofit 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.”

She further said, “Unfortunately, we found there are many barriers preventing them from getting the high-quality treatment they need.”

It is estimated that the mental problems haunting the returning veterans would cost as much as 6.2 billion dollars to the nation in two years after deployment, including direct medical care and costs for lost productivity and suicide, while providing more high-quality treatment could save close to 2 billion dollars within two years.

Military officials were all praise for the Rand study and said the findings were in line with their studies. They hope it would add force to their efforts of trying to improve mental health care.