25% of Those Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan Have Mental Disorders

According to Dr. Karen H. Seal of the University of California, San Francisco, one-fourth of the vets returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan as of November 2005 had at least one mental disorder and some had two, three or even more.

Not surprisingly, the most common diagnosis was PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

The only subgroup of subjects found to be at risk for receiving mental health diagnoses was young veterans (aged 18-24 years), who are more likely to be of lower rank and thus more likely to have greater combat exposure. “Our findings suggest that enhanced prevention, detection, and treatment should be targeted at the youngest veterans,” the researchers said.

The article appeared in the March 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.