Iraq war veterans face long-lasting mental health issues, official says

[Newsjock]

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/politics/9783482.htm

BY ALISON YOUNG
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi said Tuesday that the violent guerrilla tactics used by insurgents in Iraq will take a considerable toll on the mental health of troops, resulting in a lifetime of disability payments for many of those who return from war.

So far 20 percent of returning Iraq veterans who've sought VA care have done so for mental health issues. While the exact cost of compensating those injured in the Iraq war is uncertain, the VA already expects to pay $600 billion over the next three decades in disability payments to veterans of earlier wars.

... Of 168,000 service members who had served in Iraq and been discharged as of July 22, 28,000 had sought medical care from the VA, according to the department's most recent statistics. Of those, about 5,400 had mental health issues and nearly one in three of those suffered from PTSD, which results from a serious traumatic event and can cause debilitating flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety and uncontrollable anger. The disorder may not show itself for years.

Dr. Matthew J. Friedman, the executive director of the VA's National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, said the insurgency's ambush tactics potentially expose a greater percentage of soldiers to the kinds of stress that causes PTSD.

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[sam sarrha]

1. I was in the Peace Corps in an Islamic Republic.. the Arabs drove several

of our volunteers insane, <1973>.... stark fuck'n raving nuts. and our Arabs werent shooting at us. just culture shock.

[pfitz59]

2. DOCTOR Jim MCDermott said this would happen....

He was a Navy Psychiatrist during Vietnam war. doctor Bill Frist supports the war. Which doctor is the real heart surgeon?