One quarter of the veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and were treated by medical centers funded by the US government were diagnosed with mental disorders. If psychological and social obstacles such as domestic violence are included, as many as 3 1% of American veterans suffer from mental illness.
The number of soldiers and members of the National Guard who have recently retired and suffered from mental illness is much higher than a study on active servicemen last year. The study found that one-third of the soldiers received mental health assessment after returning to China, but only 12% of the soldiers were diagnosed with mental illness or psychosocial disorder.
Hill, a doctor and researcher at the Veterans Medical Center in Los Angeles, believes that the results of the two studies are quite different. She said that among the veterans diagnosed with mental illness, 56% have more than one mental illness, which is a problem worthy of attention. The study was published a few days after the Bush administration promised a comprehensive review of veterans' medical services. Earlier reports revealed that soldiers hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center lived in rooms with moldy walls, holes in the ceiling and rats and cockroaches. Davis, a spokesperson for the Overseas War Veterans Association, said that the scandal exposed the lack of funds of the Veterans Administration.