Oklahoma National Guards struggle with PTSD rates

Military in Oklahoma, nationwide still struggling with PTSD rates, treatment
NewsOK
By Bryan Dean
Published: November 22, 2012

“If 75 percent of the people who need care aren't getting it, we aren't doing our job right,” Kilpatrick said.

WASHINGTON — If the averages apply, at least 500 Oklahoma National Guard soldiers who returned earlier this year from Afghanistan will show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Identifying and treating those soldiers is one of the great challenges for the modern military, and both military and mental health professionals said they still aren't very good at it.

Officials with the U.S. Defense Department, Veterans Affairs, the National Institutes of Health and other agencies gathered last week for a workshop on post-traumatic stress.

Despite monumental efforts by the military to grapple with PTSD and suicide, the numbers aren't encouraging.

Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, deputy director of force health protection and readiness programs at the U.S. Department of Defense, said about 5 percent of those in the military show signs of post-traumatic stress when they are screened before going on deployments.
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