1/3 of vets seeking care have mental health disorders.
By on Mar 12th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
1/3 of vets seeking care have mental health disorders.
A new study finds that almost one-third (31 percent) “of U.S. soldiers seeking government health care after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are diagnosed with a mental problem.” The study also notes that “25 percent of U.S. veterans returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan sought government-sponsored care, compared to 10 percent of Vietnam war veterans.”
UPDATE: Details on the study are HERE.
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Yeah…and it’s those of us opposed to this disaster that don’t support the troops. Right.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:29 pmNot to sound flippant but…
…so do over 30% of DUHmerikkkan voters…
March 12th, 2007 at 8:29 pm“This administration, I think, has consistently underestimated the resources that are needed to support our veterans†I think that this opinion is very bad to the society.
http://www.dovoyeur.com
March 12th, 2007 at 8:29 pmOnly one third?! I think about 90% of those 30% or so still supporting Bush/Cheney must have mental disorders. The rest are war-profiteers and the like.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:30 pmI figured ForTruth, that since you wanted to foist yourself into the role of my doctor from a very long long distance without so much as a physical, I might be able to ask a few pertinent “patient” type questions.
I don’t blame you for not showing up in the TF thread. No one likes to be made a fool of while being taken to task.
You’re free to go now.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:35 pmHumans were not meant for this kind of violence.
No one should be given a gun and told to go kill another human being.
I’m shocked that it’s only 1/3.
Then again, the capacity for denial in human beings is huge, so it’s probably more like 2/3.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:35 pmA generation of scarred human beings, – sad.
I figured ForTruth, that since you wanted to foist yourself into the role of my doctor from long distance without so much as a physical, I might be able to ask a few “patient” type questions.
I don’t blame you for not showing up. No one likes to be made a fool of while being taken to task.
How Frist-Esque of you.
You’re free to go now.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:38 pmThose figures are somewhat misleading as they only take into account those veterans who were diagnosed by the VA. I can almost guarantee that there were more than 10 per cent of Vietnam veterans who actually suffered from PTSD.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:43 pmDoVoyeur,
Get lost with your filth.
I’m reporting you as SPAM.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:43 pmI never clicked on the link, Zoo -
Sorry you had to.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:51 pmErroll sez:
Agreed. Vietnam was seriously underreported, but it was much better than WWII and WWI, after which the vets returned home and, most often, quietly drank themselves to death.
I don’t know what the true number is, but I’m betting 31% is a lot closer than 10%. One can only hope that this increased level of knowledge will help everyone concerned to recognize the awful futility of war, but the sad fact remains: the people who start the wars, and profit from them, are an entirely different subset of people from those who must wage those wars.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:53 pmCareful: That’s 31% of those seeking VA medical care, not 31% of all reterning vets. It’s still a lot of folks, but be careful not to overstate it.
March 12th, 2007 at 9:08 pmI never clicked on the link, Zoo -
Sorry you had to.
Comment by trueblue
I clicked on it the first time that pervert showed up, weeks ago.
It’s pure SPAM. Tp needs to adjust their filter.
March 12th, 2007 at 9:09 pmThe five people I trust on this site completely and totally is as follows, and in no particular order.
Sharon – Zooey – Brisdeah na Faire – (TrueBlue) (for coming to my aid a long time ago vs. unbelievable when I was new) and Katy.
Take it as a heavy yoke, or a badge of honor, the choice is yours. But I choose my friends very closely, and they have been with me since the beginning. I want them to know I will, and always have, to the best of my ability, been there for them.
This is what a TRUE friend does.
They don’t “cut and run”
These are the types friends I choose.
March 12th, 2007 at 9:10 pm#8 – Erroll
They are the ones I wonder about. Even if they report they get very little, but no report means no treatment whatsoever.
March 12th, 2007 at 9:10 pmDo we have any stats on how many had mental problems before going to Iraq and Afghanistan? Given that recruiting standards in recent years have reduced aptitude requirements and increased the number of criminals accepted, I’m not certain that comparison with earlier wars is apples-to-apples…
March 12th, 2007 at 9:13 pm…and ALL of the MSM pundits in the mold of Pat Buchanan…
…who keeps using the right wing canard that Democrats don’t have the balls to DEFUND the war…
…and the “opposing” viewpoint commentators…
…are TOO STUPID to say to Pukin’ Pat…
…why aren’t Republicans being held to the fire?
…because THEY are the obstructionists…
…although Craig Crawford DID say to that basa*d (Buchanan)…
…”Democrats don’t have the votes!”
…I can’t wait ’til we get revenge on these right wing TRAITORS (like Joe Scumborough and company)…
…I despise right wing TRAITORS, and hope we finally settle the Civil War…
…once and for all!
March 12th, 2007 at 9:15 pmComment by big papa
Frankly, Bush and his administration is already abusing the troops, so cutting the funds, Bush will just abuse them further and blame the Democrats. Faux Snewz will blame the Democrats. The War will continue untill Bush is equipping them with slingshots.
The only way to end the war is to impeach the president and vice president. IMHO
March 12th, 2007 at 9:26 pmBig Papa, I caught the scumburough show today, I usualy skip to something else after Keith but was busy. Pat Buchannon is a screech owl repub, play’s like a dem and a horrid little pimp for the reich..Can’t stand to listen to his sorry ass but did today…..Blessings
March 12th, 2007 at 9:26 pmWhy is that dead faker allowed here? Please try harder, Rachel. You belong in the looney bin. Take your mental problems to an appropriate forum.
On Topic: I believe that the fact that national guard and reservists are being called up and sent into the middle of a civil war in Iraq without proper preparation while having their lives disrupted (they are mostly not career soldiers) and then being “extended” and sent back for 2nd tours, is extremely stressful and conducive to PTSD. Also contributing to PTSD and other mental disorders are the ill defined and unrealistic goals of the struggle (believe me, being told that you are seeing your buddies die because you are trying to prevent the establishment of a caliphate just doesn’t fly, nor do they see much of a connection between the attack at the WTC by AlQuada fanatics and their plight in Faluja or Sadr City.) NO doubt, there is also rage upon returning and seeing that besides the inane “support the troop” bumper stickers, there is little real noticeable sacrifice evident among the sunshine patriots back home. Of course, receiving poor health care at military facilities and underfunded VA hospitals and clinics also contributes to stress and frustration.
March 12th, 2007 at 9:35 pmThe wounds of this mad enterprise will be long with us. Shame Shame Shame and death to those who started it.
Hey SHARON et al…
Bill Maher is on Larry King…
…much more preferrable to Scumborough…
March 12th, 2007 at 9:36 pmOne-third of the veterans having mental disorders is something that the Repubs should be able to indentify with, really. Actually, I think the Repubs ratio is THREE-thirds.
March 12th, 2007 at 9:37 pmTripMasterMonkey at 8:53 pm
I certainly concur with your criticism of war and those who promote it vs. those who end up fighting in those wars. I would like to, if I may, recommend two books on this subject that you might find, perhaps, to be of interest. One is entitled Minds at War- Poetry and Experience of the First World War, which presents over 200 poems by 80 poets, which dealt with their experiences from The Great War. It also presents perspectives from that era, from such people as Thomas Hardy, Bertrand Russell, Rupert Brooke, Robert Graves, H.G. Welles, George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, et al. As of today, many well known people back then felt it their duty to support the government and to, in their view, be as patriotic as possible. Others, such as Shaw, felt differently about being swept up, like today, in such patriotic fervor. This anthology was difficult to obtain and I had to order it through Powells online but the results were worthwhile.
The second book is entitled A Tale of Two Quagmires- Iraq, Vietnam, and the Hard Lessons of War by Kenneth J. Campbell, who teaches Political Science at the University of Delaware. Not only does Prof. Campbell compare Vietnam to the present debacle in Iraq, he offers a unique perspective to his book. He had spent, unlike the neoconservatives, thirteen months in Vietnam as a Marine. After returning to this country, he became disillusioned with the war and with the way his government had lied to him and his fellow citizens concerning the reasons why that war had been unnecessarily fought and waged. A book that is a must read for all Americans, regardless of their political persuasion.
March 12th, 2007 at 9:39 pmThose figures are somewhat misleading as they only take into account those veterans who were diagnosed by the VA. I can almost guarantee that there were more than 10 per cent of Vietnam veterans who actually suffered from PTSD.
Comment by Erroll — March 12, 2007 @ 8:43 pm
Its probably like unemployment, once you stop receiving benefits they no longer count you. Your still out of work but your off the list. So if the government says you don’t qualify for therapy you’re not one of their statistics.
March 12th, 2007 at 10:10 pmI’m shocked that it’s only 1/3.
Trueblue, many of these people are seeing military doctors who seem to have a vested interested in NOT diagnosing the patient with anything that might impede the Pentagon’s ability to send them back to Iraq. I am sure it is underreported.
March 12th, 2007 at 10:11 pm#5 Christ, Rachel, why do you inflict your borderline personality on us (look it up if your therapist hasn’t told you what it is). You just look for attention.
March 12th, 2007 at 10:13 pmthere is little real noticeable sacrifice evident among the sunshine patriots back home.
Comment by angryvietnamvet — March 12, 2007 @ 9:35 pm
You are so right. There is absolutely no sacrifice by any civilians. And there is much profiteering by the very wealthy. And with an all time record for soldiers having to live off food stamps when they return home after they were told the military would improve their lives who wouldn’t lose it. Not to mention all the brain trauma from roadside bombing.
March 12th, 2007 at 10:24 pmBut lets just slab a yellow ribbon on our bumpers and accuse somebody else of not supporting our troops and that way we don’t have to get our hands dirty. Just our souls.
Let us not divert ourselves from the true issue here. The support structure for our veterans has collapsed. To top that off, everyone is searching for a scapegoat. The key issue is to fix the problem, not shift the blame.
March 12th, 2007 at 10:25 pmWhy the election in 2000 and 2004 was lost. Quite simply the Democratic ticket didn’t get the full support it
needed because the “fringe groups” Nader, Greens, Kucinich et al, their “outsourced vote” was enough to tip
the balance both times and now we are stuck with this Iraq mess and a mess at home too.
You “fringe” supporters had best buck up and decide if you want a Republican or a BONAFIDE “SUREFIRE”
WINNER IN A DEMOCRAT next time in 2008.
“En Masse Unity” is what will be required in 2008 to bring this whole house of cards down forever.
In other words, stop “stealing” the election FOR THEM!
Vote Democrat
March 13th, 2007 at 2:10 amVery sad, but Bush does not care because soldiers are just cannon fodder to him.
March 13th, 2007 at 3:03 amAll of the soldiers had mental issues before they went over there. Why the hell else would they willingly kill for this president?
March 13th, 2007 at 11:13 amgreat story on npr this morning about how the Government Accountability Office has a study showing that fewer soldiers are getting Permanent Disability now than in peace time
March 13th, 2007 at 11:13 amhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7867361
You can add Gen Peter Pace’s name to the list as well, for he has an acute case of homophobia that begs psychological intervention. It may well be that his “problem” is affecting the discharge of his duties, and he should take a medical leave of absence until he sorts himself out.
March 13th, 2007 at 12:29 pmI just emailed TP asking them to block the dead faker… everyone else should do the same and we can get on with our lives.
SO glad I didn’t make the short list!
On topic: these vets deserve us fighting for them, they did it for us (no matter how misguided the war).
March 13th, 2007 at 4:16 pmCHIMPya and Cheney DON’T THINK THAT THERE IS ANYTHING THE MATTER WITH MENTALLY DISTURBED VETERANS BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH PSYCHOCERAMICS(aka CRACKPOTS) THEMSELVES SO THEY SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VETERANS. THE MAD RULING THE SANE–AH, ME!!!!!
March 13th, 2007 at 9:42 pm