USA Today (9/26, A1, Zoroya, Hoyer) reports on its front page that, according to data released by the Pentagon in response to queries from USA Today, “post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and other mental illnesses accounted for more days spent by troops in the hospital than any other medical condition in the military in 2012, including war wounds, injuries and illness.” Army Lt. Col. Catherine Wilkinson, a spokesperson for Pentagon health affairs, attributed the rise in hospitalizations for mental health reasons to the “exposure of servicemembers to stressful events” tied to deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, according to Lt. Col. Christopher Ivany, Army chief of behavioral health, “days spent in mental health wards are projected to decline 15% in the Army” in 2013, partly because of better treatment through outpatient care.
Related Links:
— “Troops Flooding Into Hospitals For Mental Health Care, “Gregg Zoroya, USA Today, September 25, 2013.