Wednesday, December 08, 2010
If a member of the military goes into the hospital, the most likely problem is not physical, but mental, according to new data produced by the Department of Defense.
The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center found that mental health disorders rank as the top cause of hospitalization for men in the military. For women, it is the second cause of hospitalization, after pregnancy.
The Pentagon is confronting “a large and growing mental health problem,” which the statistics demonstrate. In 2003, more than 78,000 troops received a mental health disorder diagnosis, representing 5.6% of the military. By 2009, that number had increased to 123,374, or 8.5% of the force.
Over the past 10 years, 767,290 active-duty military personnel have received a diagnosis of a mental health disorder.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Report: Defense Faces Large and Growing Mental Health Problem (by Bob Brewin, Government Executive)
Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (Department of Defense) (pdf)
Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings (Department of Health and Human Services) (pdf)
A Quarter of Fort Hood Soldiers Seek Mental Health Counseling (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Military Health Care Bills are Skyrocketing (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Army Fights Stigma of Seeking Help for Emotional Problems (by Melanie Young, AllGov)
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