Vets Coming Home

The VA estimates 267,000 Vets are "disabled" due to PTSD, and the majority (193,000) are Vietnam War veterans.

The average age of a veteran diagnosed with "mental health issues" is 60 years old.

Vets who have PTSD experience insomnia, anxiety and difficulty coping with work, social, and family relationships. They often have nightmares and flashbacks. Left untreated, PTSD can lead to substance abuse, depression, and suicide.

Iraq, Afghanistan veterans report more disorders

Groups worry about treatment; focus on ailments may be working

The Associated Press

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.24.2006

WASHINGTON — More than one-third of Iraq and Afghani-stan veterans seeking medical treatment from the Veterans Health Administration report symptoms of stress or other mental disorders — a tenfold increase in the last 18 months, according to an agency study.

The dramatic jump in cases — coming as more troops face multiple tours in Iraq and Afghani-stan — has triggered concern among some veterans groups that the agency may not be able to meet the demand. They say veterans have had to deal with long waits for doctor appointments, staffing shortages and lack of equipment at medical centers run by the Veterans Affairs Department.

Contributing to the higher levels of stress are the long and often repeated tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq, troops also face unpredictable daily attacks and roadside bombings as they battle the stubborn insurgency.

Veterans and Defense Department officials said the increase in soldiers complaining of stress or mental disorder symptoms also may suggest that efforts to reduce the stigma of such problems are working and that commanders and medical personnel are more adept at recognizing symptoms.

"It's definitely better than it was in past generations," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Veterans Affairs officials say they have increased funding for mental-health services, have hired at least 100 more counselors and are not overwhelmed by the rising demands.

"We're not aware that people are having trouble getting services from us in any consistent way or pattern around the country," said Dr. Michael Kussman, acting undersecretary for health and top doctor at the VA.

64,000 may have disorders

Nearly 64,000 of the more than 184,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who have sought VA health care were diagnosed with potential symptoms of post-traumatic stress, drug abuse or other mental disorders as of the end of June, according to the latest report by the Veterans Health Administration.

Of those, close to 30,000 had possible post-traumatic-stress disorder, said the report, which was completed in August and obtained this month by The Associated Press.

The Government Accountability Office reported in February 2005 that just 6,400 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had been treated for stress disorders. The office is an investigative agency of Congress.

Kussman said the number of people reporting symptoms of stress probably represent a "gross overestimation" of those actually suffering from a mental-health disorder. Most of the troops who return from Iraq have "normal reactions to abnormal situations," such as flashbacks or trouble sleeping, Kussman said. He said the returning veterans represent just 3.5 percent of the more than 5 million people seen by the VA each year.

The VA, he said, has targeted $300 million for post-traumatic-stress disorders for 2005-06, and is seeking another $300 million for 2007.

While veterans groups don't have data on the number of veterans encountering problems with the VA, they said veterans are reporting long delays for appointments at the agency's medical centers.