Substance Abuse, PTSD Common Among Veterans

Nearly three times as many veterans are taking advantage of the two free years of health care offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) than did in Vietnam, many to be treated for mental health problems, shows a report funded by a VA grant and published in the March 12, 2007 issue of the Archives of General Medicine.

Of the 103,788 veterans who visited VA health facilities between 2001 and 2005, 25 percent received mental health diagnoses, with substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the most common problems. The report further found that the youngest and largest subset of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, those age 18 to 24 (and those more likely to be of a lower rank and therefore see more combat action), were nine times more likely to experience PTSD and other mental health problems than those age 40 and up.

Researchers say that intense, unpredictable conditions of ground combat and multiple tours of duty place a great mental strain on soldiers.

"[T]he majority of military personnel experience high-intensity guerilla warfare and the chronic threat of roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices," they write. "Some soldiers endure multiple tours of duty, many experience traumatic injury and more of the wounded survive than ever before."

The authors further push "a need for improvements in the primary prevention of military service-related mental health disorders, particularly among our youngest service members"--and indeed improving the military health system has been a hot topic among lawmakers following the recent Walter Reed scandal.

In addition to the figures reported on soldiers who actually access VA healthcare there are further many soldiers who don't report symptoms for fear of being disqualified from their jobs, not to mention those who never receive proper care due to barriers in accessing the system. They suggest that a 25 percent mental illness rate is a low estimate even in the face of upward diagnosis rates.

Press Release: Mental illnesses appear common among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
ABSTRACT: Bringing the War Back Home