Veterans Struggle With Mental Health Problems
More than half of the 2.6 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say they struggle with physical or mental health problems as a result of their service and feel detached from civilian life, according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The Washington Post: A Legacy Of Pain And Pride
More than half of the 2.6 million Americans dispatched to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with physical or mental health problems stemming from their service, feel disconnected from civilian life and believe the government is failing to meet the needs of this generation’s veterans, according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation. The long conflicts, which have required many troops to deploy multiple times and operate under an almost constant threat of attack, have exacted a far more widespread emotional toll than previously recognized by most government studies and independent assessments: One in two say they know a fellow service member who has attempted or committed suicide, and more than 1 million suffer from relationship problems and experience outbursts of anger — two key indicators of post-traumatic stress (Chandrasekaran, 3/29).
