Mental Health Problems, Use of Mental Health Services, and Attrition From Military Service After Returning From Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan

Abstract

In March 2003, the United States and its coalition partners launched Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the largest sustained ground operation since the Vietnam War. The mental health effects in US military personnel returning from current deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are of increasing importance to examine and have not been fully explored to date. Previous research conducted after other military conflicts has shown that deployment and exposure to combat result in increased risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, substance abuse, functional impairment in social and employment settings, and the increased use of health care services.^1-8 A recent study showed that 17% of soldiers and Marines who returned from Iraq screened positive for PTSD, generalized anxiety, or depression, a prevalence nearly twice that observed among soldiers surveyed before deployment.⁹