Army: War affecting troops' mental health

WASHINGTON -- A survey of troops returning from the Iraq war found 30 percent had developed mental health problems three to four months after coming home, the Army's surgeon general said yesterday.

The problems include anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger, and an inability to concentrate, according to Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley and military medical officials. A smaller group, usually with more severe cases of these symptoms, is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 30 percent figure is in contrast to the 3 to 5 percent diagnosed with a significant mental health issue immediately after they leave the theater, according to Colonel Elspeth Ritchie, a military psychiatrist on Kiley's staff. A study of troops who were still in the combat zone in 2004 indicated 13 percent experienced significant mental health problems.

Soldiers departing a war zone are typically given a health evaluation as they leave combat, but the Army is only now instituting a program for follow-up screenings three to six months later, said Kiley, speaking to reporters.

A program for the follow-up screenings, conducted on 1,000 US soldiers returning from Iraq to Italy last year, found a much greater incidence of mental health problems than expected, a fact Kiley attributed to post-combat stress problems taking time to develop once the danger has passed.