Wartime PTSD cases jump to 40,000
WASHINGTON (AP) - May 27, 2008 In the first time the Defense Department has disclosed a number
for PTSD cases from the two wars, officials said nearly 40,000
troops have been diagnosed with the illness since 2003, though they
believe many more are likely keeping their illness a secret.
"I don't think right now we ... have good numbers," Army
Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said Tuesday.
That's partly because officials have been encouraging troops to
get help even if it means they go to private civilian therapists
and don't report it to the military. The 40,000 cases cover only
those that the military has tracked.
Officials have estimated that roughly 50 percent of troops with
mental health problems don't get treatment because they're
embarrassed or fear it will hurt their careers.
An accounting of diagnosed cases released by Schoomaker to
reporters Tuesday shows the hardest hit last year were Marines and
Army soldiers, the two ground forces bearing the brunt of combat in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army reported more than 10,000 new cases last year, compared
to more than 6,800 the previous year. More than 28,000 soldiers
altogether were diagnosed with the disorder over the last five
years.
The Marine Corps had more than 2,100 cases in 2007, compared to
1,366 in 2006. They have had more than 5,000 PTSD cases diagnosed
since 2003.
Schoomaker attributed the big rise partly to the fact that
officials started an electronic record system in 2004 that captures
more information, and to the fact that as time goes on the people
keeping records are more knowledgeable about the illness.
He also blamed increased exposure of troops to combat. Factors
increasing combat exposure in 2007 included President Bush's troops
buildup, increased violence in both wars and the fact that a number
of troops are serving their second, third or fourth tours of duty -
a factor mental health experts says dramatically increases stress.
In order to supply enough forces for the buildup, officials also
extended tour lengths to 15 months from 12, another factor that
caused extra emotional strain.
Schoomaker said he believes PTSD is widely misunderstood by the
press and the public - and that what is often just normal
post-traumatic anxiety and stress is mistaken for full-blown PTSD
cases.
Experts say many troops have symptoms of stress that can be
managed with treatment and should not be confused with cases that
go untreated for a long time and those that develop into a mental
disorder.
The Pentagon had previously only given a percentage of troops
believed affected by depression, anxiety, stress and so on - saying
up to 20 percent return home with such symptoms. A recent private
study estimated that could mean up to 300,000 of those who've
served have symptoms.