40,000+ Troops Have Post-Traumatic Stress

[OhioChick]

Source: AP

Pentagon Not Sure How Many Troops Really Affected

POSTED: 2:51 pm EDT May 27, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Pentagon figures show at least 40,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003.

But officials believe many more are keeping their illness secret.

Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said officials have no reliable figures on how many troops have PTSD or how many have sought treatment for it after serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That's because officials are encouraging troops to get help, even if they go to civilian therapists and don't report it to the military.

The 40,000 cases are only those the military knows of.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/health/16404685/detail.html

[trusty elf]

1. ...

[Jackpine Radical]

2. If you include DESNOS

(Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified--a proposed new diagnosis in the next edition of the DSM), my bet is that nearly all of them carry major effects of psychological trauma.

[valerief]

3. Anyone who comes out of war unscathed must not have been screwed too tightly

to begin with.

How could anyone not be affected by the hell of war? I mean, other than the assholes who start it.

[Quantess]

4. I'm sure Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc. all sleep soundly.

Well, bush might have occasional imsomnia, but only because he is worried that History won't portray him in a glorious light.

[valerief]

5. No, it's because he's drying out. nt

[Quantess]

6. His cold sweats and nightmares?

Delirium Tremens
Better not tell Laura Bush.

[InkAddict]

7. And if upwards of 40,000 military personnel suffer...

think about how The Shock Doctrine policies, as applied at home and in the "practice" countries, have psychologically and emotionally damaged the minds of ordinary citizens who once had good jobs and homes that supported not necessarily a lavish lifestyle but "enough" to feed, house, and educate their kids and at least dream about a simpler yet comfortable retirement - GWTW, IMHO, at least for yours truly -- Not to mention for the civilians of nations this criminal admin has invaded and occupied with violence.

Soldiers may see death come on quickly; citizens see no reprieve from what is certain to be a long tormenting spiral of saying goodbye, piece by piece, or just as easily a quick violent end - in either case, whatever the "mission" that kept the energies of life going well, these have been in all likelihood SNUFFED in those so disposed by both nature and nurture (genetics and learning), though by different definitions of war. Both definitions relied on unethical, ugly goals in which persons have been forced to participate against their will and values to the detriment of their state of mind and being.

It's bad enough when Mother Nature takes a toll, but this wanton man-made destruction of whatever uneasy peace and prosperity (?) people have been able to find...unspeakable.

Edit for spellcheck - whoops!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. Post-traumatic stress soars in U.S. troops

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newly diagnosed cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan surged 46.4 percent in 2007, bringing the five-year total to nearly 40,000, according to U.S. military data released on Tuesday.

The statistics, released by the Army, showed the number of new PTSD cases formally diagnosed at U.S. military facilities climbed to 13,981 last year from 9,549 in 2006.

The numbers rose as President George W. Bush poured extra forces into Iraq to try to quell sectarian violence and extended Army tours from 12 to 15 months. The United States has also sent more forces to Afghanistan.

The figures, encompassing all four branches of the U.S. armed services, showed that the Army alone had 10,049 new PTSD cases last year.

This brings to 39,366 the number of PTSD cases diagnosed at military facilities between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2007, among troops deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2736842620080527?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&sp=true

[LynnTheDem]

9. Then there are the est. 1,000/month troops who attempt suicide.

All of whom, no doubt, will be mocked and ridiculed by the republicans in their show of "supporting the troops".

[bdamomma]

10. those cowardly repigs only support the war and not our troops

they show only disdain for them all.

[unhappycamper]

11. Number of troops with PTSD up 50 percent

Source: Army Times / Associated Press

Number of troops with PTSD up 50 percent
By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 27, 2008 18:17:49 EDT

WASHINGTON — The number of troops with new cases of post-traumatic stress disorder jumped by roughly 50 percent in 2007 amid the military buildup in Iraq and increased violence there and in Afghanistan.

Records show roughly 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with the illness, also known as PTSD, since 2003. Officials believe that many more are likely keeping their illness a secret.

“I don’t think right now we ... have good numbers,” Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker said Tuesday.

Defense officials had not previously disclosed the number of PTSD cases from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_ptsd_052708/

[SpiralHawk]

12. "So?" - VP Dickie 'Five Military Deferments' Cheney (R - Chickenhawk)