PTSD reports up 20,000 in a year - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

PTSD reports up 20,000 in a year

WASHINGTON — The number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from the Department of Veterans Affairs jumped by nearly 20,000 — almost 70 percent — in the 12 months ending June 30, records show.

More than 100,000 veterans — about one out of seven of those who have served and left active duty — have sought help for mental illness since late 2001, the start of the war in Afghanistan, according to VA records collected through the end of June. Almost half of those cases were for PTSD.

The numbers do not include thousands treated at storefront Vet Centers operated by the department across the country. Nor does it include active-duty personnel diagnosed with PTSD or former service members who have not sought treatment from the VA for their mental problems.

About 1.5 million U.S. troops have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and 750,000 have since left the military eligible for VA health care.

The nearly 50,000 VA-documented PTSD cases far exceeds the official Pentagon tally for all wounded from those conflicts, which stands at 30,000.

The discrepancy underscores the view by military and civilian health officials that troops tend to ignore, hide or fail to recognize their mental health wounds until after their military service.

The overall number of mental health cases among war veterans grew by nearly 60 percent from 63,767 on June 30, 2006, to 100,580 on June 30, 2007, VA records show. The mental health issues include PTSD, drug and alcohol dependency and depression. They involve troops who left the military and sought health care from the veterans’ department.

Mental health is the second-largest area of illness for war veterans after orthopedic problems and is increasing at a faster rate, according to VA.

The reality of troubled veterans is finally hitting the department, said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a former soldier and member of the Senate subcommittee that oversees VA spending.

“They’re trying to catch up with a moving train, because before, I think they were underfunded. They weren’t getting the resources they needed,” Reed said.

Congress has criticized the Bush administration for failing to spend enough on VA health care, including mental health services. House and Senate committees have added $1.7 billion to the administration’s $27.3 billion VA 2008 budget request.

The VA said it began responding in 2005 to war-related needs, gradually increasing by 4,000 to nearly 11,000 the number of mental health specialists, spokeswoman Allison Aikele said.

“We are seeing the increase [in mental health cases], and we are preparing to deal with it,” said Antonette Zeiss, a psychologist and deputy chief of the department’s mental health services.

Treating PTSD can be complicated and expensive, said Joy Ilem, health specialist with the Disabled American Veterans Association. The challenge is making treatment available wherever veterans may live.

“If somebody needs to get into a PTSD program ... you want them to have that access immediately,” Ilem said. Delays mean “they’re at a higher risk for drug or alcohol abuse ... even suicide.”