Rise in PTSD cases from two wars strains military resources

They were warned. They were warned when 9-11 came and experts sounded the alarm bells across the country that Vietnam veterans would be flooding the VA with emergency calls for help. They knew the secondary stressor of this country being hit would send even mild cases of PTSD into overdrive. They were warned when the troops were sent to Afghanistan that there were not enough mental health and claims processors standing by to take care of all the wounded, by body and mind. They were warned again when they decided to send troops into Iraq. Nothing was done until it was too late. What made all of this worse was the fact that the Internet was starting to reach more and more veterans so they understood if they needed help, it was there for them. People like me were getting them to go for help after years of trying. What we didn't tell them was that they would have to get into a very, very long line to get the help they needed.

Now, behind on the flow already waiting, more and more will seek the help they need to heal from the wars we sent them to fight. Pretty appalling all the way around.

Rise in PTSD cases from two wars strains military resources
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY Updated 2h 48m ago

Ten thousand combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder flooded into VA hospitals every three months this year, pushing the number of patients ill from the disorder above 200,000 and straining resources, Department of Veterans Affairs data to be released today show.

The increase is more than 5% per quarter, according to data obtained by USA TODAY, and it occurs as the VA struggles to move veterans quickly into therapy. New mental health patients at about a third of VA hospitals wait longer than the department's goal of 14 days or less, according to a USA TODAY analysis published this month.

"Demand for mental health care is only going to continue to grow as thousands more troops return home," says Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., head of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "The VA still has work to do to decrease wait times … reduce the stigma around seeking care and to provide access to care in rural areas."
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