Iraq Reservists Face a 'Perfect Storm' of Post-Traumatic Stress (AlterNet)

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Iraq Reservists Face a 'Perfect Storm' of Post-Traumatic Stress

By Stacy Bannerman, Foreign Policy in Focus. Posted March 15, 2007.



Soldiers who have served in Iraq are killing themselves at higher rates than in any other war in which such data have been tracked. To understand why, just look at the system.

The sole aspect of the Iraq war upon which Americans are united is the need to provide post-deployment mental health care for our soldiers. The good news is that no one wants to abandon the veterans coming back from Iraq as happened with far too many Vietnam veterans. The bad news is that we already have. Nowhere is that more apparent than within National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers, who typically go from combat to cul-de-sac in 48 hours.

Active-duty troops are required to participate in post-combat mental health care sessions for the first three months of their reentry, but the Department of Defense has a 90-day "hands-off" policy pertaining to National Guard soldiers and Army reservists. After serving some of the longest tours in Iraq, they undergo a few days of out-processing, which includes a brief mental health screening. Desperate to get home, National Guard soldiers and Army reservists will say anything that will enable them to leave. When they are released -- without support or services -- they scatter across states, and generally don't report at their first post-deployment training drill for three months or more.

The separation from other soldiers creates a feeling of isolation at a time when support and connection with others who are going through the same emotional adjustments is critical.

Like most National Guard soldiers, my husband didn't receive a comprehensive mental health evaluation until eight months after he returned from a yearlong tour at the most-attacked base in Iraq. Nearly a year after his exam, in August of 2006, he was notified of the outcome: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides free healthcare services to veterans for a period of two years beginning on the date of their separation from active military service. By the time my husband was informed of his diagnosis and advised to get treatment, he had approximately six months remaining to access care. But the waiting list is long, and time is running out for him and for tens of thousands just like him. ....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/49226/