A new Rand study titled, "Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery" was released today examining the numbers of vets from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars who are suffering from brain injuries and mental illnesses. One of the most damning revelations in the report was that 43% of veterans are not seeking treatment for their injuries. Here are some of the findings from Raw Story:
_About 19 percent - or some 320,000 services members - reported that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed. In wars where blasts from roadside bombs are prevalent, the injuries can range from mild concussions to severe head wounds.
_About 7 percent reported both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression.
_Only 43 percent reported ever being evaluated by a physician for their head injuries.
_Only 53 percent of service members with PTSD or depression sought help over the past year.
_They gave various reasons for not getting help, including that they worried about the side effects of medication; believe family and friends could help them with the problem, or that they feared seeking care might damage their careers.
_Rates of PTSD and major depression were highest among women and reservists.
The RAND Corporation, a non-profit organization released a 500 page report and interviewed nearly two thousand Veterans in all levels of the Armed Forces. What RAND discovered is that there are 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan Vets suffering from mental illnesses. 18.5% of the current Armed forces who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are suffering from PTSD. 320,000 Vets have reported brain injuries, which also makes up nearly 20% of the Armed Forces who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq. Here's another snippet about the study:
Some 300,000 U.S. troops are suffering from major depression or post traumatic stress from serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 320,000 received brain injuries, a new study estimates.
Only about half have sought treatment, said the study released Thursday by the RAND Corporation.
"There is a major health crisis facing those men and women who have served our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Terri Tanielian, the project's co-leader and a researcher at the nonprofit RAND.
"Unless they receive appropriate and effective care for these mental health conditions, there will be long-term consequences for them and for the nation," she said in an interview with The Associated Press.
What really bothers me about this study is that 43% of Veterans who have reported some form of head injury have not sought treatment. The Department of Veterans Affairs has a responsibility to these men and women to follow up on their medical concerns don't you think? When it comes to the long term health of our Veterans, we shouldn't be cutting corners. The Defense Department should be taking care of active duty soldiers and making sure every single Veteran is getting treated for the injuries they report. The Department of Veterans Affairs should be following up on all Veterans who have reported injuries to ensure that they are in fact actively dealing with their injuries or mental illnesses.
