Mental Disorders Rise Sharply Among Soldiers

1 in 9 medical discharges attributed to PTSD, related ailments
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 23, 2010 11:59 AM CDT
Mental Disorders Rise Sharply Among Soldiers
Marines await psychological testing at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

News that the Pentagon is making it easier for soldiers to qualify for disability payments because of post-traumatic stress disorder comes at a good time: The number of cases is rising steadily, reports USA Today. Army stats show that the number of soldiers who left the service solely because of a mental disorder such as PTSD increased 64% from 2005 to 2009. Last year, 1,224 soldiers did so, accounting for 1 in 9 medical discharges.

"These numbers really just validate the mental health communities' concern about multiple deployments," says an official with Disabled American Veterans. "Mind and body are both taking a beating." (More Post Traumatic Stress Disorder stories.)

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