Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Hit U.S. Troops in Iraq -Study

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040630/ts_nm/health_usa_troops_dc&cid=564&ncid=1473

BOSTON (Reuters) - Nearly a fifth of U.S. troops returning from the war in Iraq (news - web sites) may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems, but many are not seeking treatment, according to a study released on Wednesday.


The study, published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites), is one of a very few that have examined the psychological impact of war so close to the time of deployment. It has already begun to reshape how soldiers are treated, both in the field and after they return home, researchers said.


Specifically, the study was partly aimed at gauging the psychological barriers -- from concern about the stigma associated with mental illness to fear of possible harm to one's career -- that keep troops from seeking help for combat-related stress disorders.


"There are a significant number of soldiers who need or require help," study co-author Carl Castro of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research said in an interview.

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