Science blog warns us, “Having a mental illness, especially one caused by war, is no longer the shame it was when General Patton slapped a shell-shocked soldier. Awareness and reporting of syndromes like post-traumatic stress disorder are also much higher than in the past. Even so, a secret government study about the degree to which the “global war on terror” has affected the personalities of recent veterans is, well, mind-blowing.”
Wars May End But Mental Disorders March On
The AP reports that according to the government’s own statistics, more than one-third of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq who seek medical treatment from the Veterans Health Administration have symptoms of stress or other mental disorders and are reporting it at 10 times the rate of just 18 months earlier.
“There is a sad and unnecessary personal cost here,
but an even greater one for America…”