By KUNA,
Washington : US military figures show nearly 40,000 diagnosed cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, since 2003, according to data released on Tuesday.
The figures surged nearly 47 percent in 2007, following President George W. Bush’s surge in troop levels in Iraq and extended Army tours from 12 to 15 months.
The statistics, released by the Army, showed the number of new PTSD cases formally diagnosed at U.S. military facilities climbed to 13,981 last year from 9,549 in 2006.
Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker says officials have no reliable figures the number of troops who have PTSD or how the number of those who have sought treatment for it after returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Marines and Army have been hardest hit. The totals include 28,365 cases for the Army and 5,641 for the Marines.
Officials believe the larder number of PTSD diagnoses in recent years is due to greater awareness and tracking of the disorder in the US military, “but we’re also exposing more people to combat,” according to Schoomaker.
The Pentagon has come under mounting pressure in recent years to enhance treatment for PTSD amid criticism that initial treatments were inadequate.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can be brought on by combat exposure and trauma such as being physically wounded or seeing others hurt or killed.
In those diagnosed symptoms can range from irritability and outbursts of anger to sleep troubles, lack of concentration, extreme vigilance and an exaggerated startle response.
Army officials on Tuesday emphasized that the data do not reflect the actual number of troops and war veterans who suffer from PTSD, many of whom do not seek treatment or have been diagnosed at civilian facilities where records are confidential.
A recent study by the RAND Corp. estimated that about 300,000 troops, or 18.
5 percent, of the more than 1.5 million troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan exhibit symptoms of either PTSD or depression.
But the latest statistics provide add detail about the scale of human impact from two wars that have resulted in 4,579 U.S. troop casualties and inflicted physical wounds on 32,076 more.
There are currently 155,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 33,000 in Afghanistan.