[BeanerMan]

[url:0f1ed]http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-07-28-iraq-vets-health_x.htm[/url:0f1ed]
[quote:0f1ed]WASHINGTON (AP) — Thirty percent of U.S. troops surveyed have developed stress-related mental health problems three to four months after coming home from the Iraq war, the Army's surgeon general said Thursday.

The survey of 1,000 troops found problems including anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger and an inability to concentrate, said Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley and other military medical officials. A smaller number of troops, often with more severe symptoms, were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a serious mental illness.

The 30% figure is in contrast to the 3% to 5% diagnosed with a significant mental health issues immediately after they leave the war theater, according to Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a military psychiatrist on Kiley's staff. A study of troops who were still in the combat zone in 2004 found 13% experienced significant mental health problems.

Soldiers departing a war zone are typically given a health evaluation as they leave combat, but the Army is only now instituting a program for follow-up screenings three to six months later, said Kiley, speaking to reporters at a breakfast meeting.

Screenings of 1,000 U.S. soldiers who returned from Iraq to their home bases in Italy last year found that three to four months later, 30% of them had some mental health difficulties — a much greater incidence than expected. Kiley attributed that to post-combat stress problems taking time to develop once the danger has passed.

Only about 4% or 5% of troops coming home from combat actually have PTSD, but many others face problems adjusting when they come home, Kiley said.

Such problems are sometimes more acute in members of the National Guard, who return to a civilian job when they leave active military duty, Ritchie said.

Military medical officials, however, cautioned against people reading their data as suggesting the war had driven so many soldiers over the edge. Instead, they characterized the anxiety and stress as normal reactions to combat, seeing dead and mutilated bodies, and feeling helpless to stop a violent situation.

Still, such reactions can lead to problems with spouses and children, substance abuse and just day-to-day life, they said.

Truck drivers and convoy guards in Iraq are developing mental health problems in greater numbers than other troops, Ritchie said, suggesting the long hours on the road, constantly under threat of attack, are taking their toll.

The military has about 200 mental health experts in Iraq, grouped in what the Army calls "combat stress control teams." These teams are at many posts around the country and talk with troops after battles, try to prevent suicides and diagnose troops who should be evacuated from of the country because of mental health problems.

"They are worth their weight in gold," Kiley said of the teams.

An inquiry into the mental health of soldiers serving in Iraq found an improvement in the mental health and morale in 2004 over 2003. The military made its report on the inquiry public last week.

The report said the number of suicides in Iraq and Kuwait declined from 24 in 2003 to nine last year.

Historically, mental health problems have always been a part of warfare, and was looked at systematically when shellshock cases accounted for significant losses during World War I.

Ritchie said mental health cases ebb and flow during a war, and suggested they are sometimes connected to a soldier's sense of success of the larger war effort. During the Korean War, cases increased when U.S. forces were losing ground but decreased as the situation improved, she said.[/quote:0f1ed]

[ninty]

sad. annoy:

In addition to this you'll have tons to troops die from exposure to depleted uranium in the next 10 years.

[Coleman]

yeah that must suck. Sad thing is alot of the troops think it is a sign of weakness if they ask for help even though most of them want to get help.

[rdeyes]

i give them mad props for even being able to serve this great country no matter what people think ... if it wasnt for people like them .. well i dont even want to think

[Short Hand]

Originally Posted by rdeyes

i give them mad props for even being able to serve this great country no matter what people think ... if it wasnt for people like them .. well i dont even want to think

Then why did you support sending them there ? No offence, but it is just insane to say "i love the troops" then go around the next minute and support this war with diehard feelings.

"I support sending them to a war to die. THats how much I respect them!"

[Coleman]

[quote="Short Hand":8233f]

Originally Posted by rdeyes

i give them mad props for even being able to serve this great country no matter what people think ... if it wasnt for people like them .. well i dont even want to think

Then why did you support sending them there ? No offence, but it is just insane to say "i love the troops" then go around the next minute and support this war with diehard feelings.

"I support sending them to a war to die. THats how much I resect them!"[/quote:8233f]supporting troops doesn't mean that you want them to be in a danger-free zone. Think about other wars we fought in and try to use your way of thinking there...won't work.

[KTOG]

I support our troops (sans yellow ribbon) by hoping they make it back safe. However, I don't support the war. Get it?

[Coleman]

Originally Posted by KTOG

I support our troops (sans yellow ribbon) by hoping they make it back safe. However, I don't support the war. Get it?

totally legit

[c312]

Originally Posted by KTOG

I support our troops (sans yellow ribbon) by hoping they make it back safe. However, I don't support the war. Get it?

That's all ya can ask from somebody, to be respectful even if they don't agree with the cause.

[KTOG]

Funny story. My History professor goes out to the local store and sees a yellow ribbon on their store front. He goes inside, he picks up the items he needs and heads to the counter. he begins to bullshit with the owner and asked "How do you support your troops?" The owner says "I have a yellow ribbon." My teacher asks "How is that supporting your troops?". "But i have a yellow ribbon," replies the owner. My prof just rolls his eyes and leaves.

[Jimbo@]

Originally Posted by KTOG

Funny story. My History professor goes out to the local store and sees a yellow ribbon on their store front. He goes inside, he picks up the items he needs and heads to the counter. he begins to bullshit with the owner and asked "How do you support your troops?" The owner says "I have a yellow ribbon." My teacher asks "How is that supporting your troops?". "But i have a yellow ribbon," replies the owner. My prof just rolls his eyes and leaves.

Exactly. people only say they "support the troops" to feel better and deny any responsibility themselves. They're only lying to themselves.

[rdeyes]

try sending a care package instead of buying a magnet

[Coleman]

Originally Posted by KTOG

Funny story. My History professor goes out to the local store and sees a yellow ribbon on their store front. He goes inside, he picks up the items he needs and heads to the counter. he begins to bullshit with the owner and asked "How do you support your troops?" The owner says "I have a yellow ribbon." My teacher asks "How is that supporting your troops?". "But i have a yellow ribbon," replies the owner. My prof just rolls his eyes and leaves.

the store owner was probably from India and that's all he could say in English biggrin:

[Pyro]

Good men die, while evil triumphs.

Bush sits in the white house thinking up new ideas how to add to his "legacy" and also to see how many more of his own countrymen need to die for his poltical agenda.

you're a good man...you know...like if all those southerners who are pro-violence and guns...you must be a fuckin great guy eh.

[c312]

lol, it's just funny.