Although news outlets report daily on the numbers of casualties, kidnappings, and civilian deaths in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East (specifically, Operation Iraqi Freedom), the Department of Defense recently released a report on a lesser known, yet debilitating, effect of war - the psychological trauma of surviving soldiers.  I’m particularly scared about this because I saw changes in my boyfriend very, very quickly after he was deployed to Tikrit in July.  Daily emails and phone calls filled with our plans for the future slipped to weekly, then montly, then to nothing.  The occasional email I did receive didn’t make sense, lots of Apocalypse Now references and hopeless rambling with no mention of coming home. Last time I spoke to his mother, she hadn’t heard from him in over a month.  These changes might have been expected, but are simulataneously frightening because he is turning into someone else.  All I know, courtesy of the daily DoD Army Casualty report, is that he’s alive, although to what extent he is still truly alive, I won’t know until he returns.  

I had read previous reports stating that as many as 33% of returning soldiers suffered from some sort of psychological trauma upon their return home.  The DoD surveyed over 1,300 Army soldiers and almost 450 Marines.  The most recent report presented the following facts:

    • Soldiers who deployed longer (greater than six months) or had deployed multiple times were more likely to screen positive for a mental health issue.
    • Approximately 10 percent of soldiers reported mistreating non-combatants or damaging their property when it was not necessary.
    • Less than half of soldiers and Marines would report a team member for unethical behavior.
    • More than one-third of all soldiers and Marines reported that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or Marine.
    • The 2006 adjusted rate of suicides per 100,000 soldiers was 17.3 soldiers, lower than the 19.9 rate reported in 2005, however higher than the Army average of 11.6 per 100,000 soldiers. However, there are important demographic differences between these two soldier populations that make direct comparisons problematic.
    • Soldiers experienced mental health problems at a higher rate than Marines.
    • Deployment length was directly linked to morale problems in the Army.
    • Leadership is key to maintaining soldier and Marine mental health.
    • Both soldiers and Marines reported at relatively high rates – 62 and 66 percent, respectively – that they knew someone seriously injured or killed, or that a member of their team had become a casualty.

The full press release can be found here: DefenseLink

The DoD is also implementing a training program called “BATTLEMIND,” which focuses on evaluating the mental health of soldiers before their deployment and upon their return, asses levels and access to mental health care professionals, and to make recommendations on how to improve mental health care for our military.  For further information on how the Army is improving its commitment to behavioral and mental health, click here.

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