More veterans may need extra help for post-combat stress (AP/CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

Fewer than a quarter of returning troops get mental health referrals

Friday, May 12, 2006; Posted: 12:22 p.m. EDT (16:22 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Less than one-quarter of the U.S. military's Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who show signs of post-traumatic stress are referred for additional mental health treatment or evaluation, a government study finds.

The report released Thursday said that about 5 percent of the veterans interviewed after they returned from combat tours appeared to be at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. Of those, about 22 percent are referred for more health care.

The Government Accountability Office said the Defense Department cannot guarantee that those who need referrals get them, and there appear to be inconsistencies in how health care workers from the different military services determine who needs a referral.

The investigative arm of Congress found that 9,145 of the 178,664 service members reviewed may have been at risk of combat stress. Also, 2,029 were referred for additional help.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/05/12/soldier.stress.ap/index.html