VFA News Analysis: November 14, 2007

Many of the country’s leading newspapers, such as the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal, ran articles today about the Army report showing that the numbers of soldiers experiencing mental health problems months after their return is dramatically higher than expected.

This report, printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association, confirms much of what VFA has been saying for some time. Mental health injuries are extremely common among troops who have served in Iraq, although the symptoms may take months to develop. Servicemembers suffering these wounds, especially those from the National Guard and Reserves, are given inadequate treatment and rehabilitation. Treatment for alcohol abuse is inconsistent and, when the abuse is related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often ineffective. The families of troops suffering from these injuries are also not given the attention they require. State-level organizations are also sounding the alarm about the inadequate care given to servicemembers who come home with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

For the rest of today’s news, please visit the Our Troops Newsladder.

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