WASHINGTON — About 300,000 U.S. military personnel who have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, a mental toll that will cost the nation as much as $6.2 billion over two years, according to a RAND Corp. report released Thursday.
In addition, nearly 20 percent of the 1.64 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, or about 320,000 personnel, reported a probable traumatic brain injury during deployment, the report found, though it said their treatment needs had not been determined.
The economic cost of the PTSD and depression cases — including medical care, forgone productivity and lost lives through suicide — was estimated at $4 billion to $6 billion over two years. Meanwhile, the cost incurred by traumatic brain injury, based on all cases diagnosed through June 2007, was estimated at $600 million to $900 million.
The 500-page report, titled “Invisible Wounds of War,” said prolonged and repeated exposure to combat stress is causing a disproportionately high psychological toll compared with physical injuries. It warned of “long-term, cascading consequences” for the nation — ranging from a greater likelihood of drug use and suicide to increased marital problems and unemployment — if the mental health problems are left untreated.
Yet, based on a survey of 1,965 service members from 24 communities across the country, the report found serious gaps in mental health care. For example, it determined that only 53 percent of service members with PTSD or depression had sought help from a provider in the past year. Of those who sought care, about half received “minimally adequate” treatment.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.