LOS ANGELES, April 17 (Xinhua) -- About 20 percent of
the veterans in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are currently suffering from
depression or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a report
released on Thursday.
Less than half of those 300,000 veterans have
received care for depression or PTSD, said the report, the latest and most
comprehensive study of current and former military service members.
The findings signaled significant problems with the
U.S. mental healthcare system, according to the study, conducted by the Rand
Corp. and funded by the California Community Foundation.
The study, which shows that the stress disorders may
be more prevalent and lasting than previously known, is the first to assess the
mental health of the 1.65 million service members that have been deployed to
Iraq or Afghanistan.
Many soldiers and Marines are still slipping through
the cracks in the bureaucratic system although the Army has been dramatically
stepping up its screening of soldiers at the end of their tours, said the
report.
The symptoms of depression and PTSD can appear months
after an incident, and so mental problems that appear later may never be caught,
the study said.
Some service members may actively avoid a diagnosis
of a mental health problem, fearing the negative consequences of being diagnosed
with a stress disorder or depression, according to the study.
These troops are worried that their career could be
hurt or co-workers would have less confidence in them after a diagnosis, said
the study.
Based on interviews with 1,965 current and former
service members, the study asked how many had suffered from PTSD within the
previous 30 days and suffered from depression within the previous two weeks.
"We have tried to generate this estimate across the
entire deployed population," said Terri Tanielian, one of the study's authors.
"We are looking at the scope of the problem now among the population back in the
United States."
The study also shows that 19.5 percent of veterans
had received a concussion or other traumatic brain injury during their combat
tour, a number similar to Army estimates.
"The prevalence of PTSD and major depression will
likely remain high unless greater efforts are made to enhance systems of care
for these individuals," the report said.
Stress disorders and other combat-related mental
ailments can lead to suicide, homelessness and physical health
problems.
