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Many Frontline Troops Turn To Meds To Cope

June 10, 2008
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(CBS) This report includes information from Time
Magazine.
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As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, we're learning that a
large number of troops are turning to medication to deal with the
stress of battle.

Each year, between 20 and 40 soldiers are evacuated from war zones for
mental problems brought on by combat, says CBS News National Security
Correspondent David Martin, and many more stay in the battle with the
help of medication.

A recent survey found 12 percent of soldiers in Iraq reported taking
either anti-depressants or sleeping pills. That works out to about
19,000 soldiers, half of them using anti-depressants.

"We are in new territory," Martin quoted an Army psychiatrist as
saying, meaning, Martin explained, that never before have anti-
depressants without dangerous side effects been available to soldiers
facing repeated combat tours.

Starting in the late 1980s, anti-depressants that didn't cause
dizziness, drowsiness and other complications began to come on the
market. Then, Martin observed, came Iraq and Afghanistan, with their
multiple combat tours and demands for increasing numbers of troops --
and the Pentagon approved prescribing drugs such as Zoloft, Prozac and
Paxil for soldiers who otherwise might have to be evacuated from the
war zone.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become one of the signature
wounds of this war," Martin pointed out. "Now, anti-depressants are
emerging as one of the signature medications."

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America, told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Tuesday,
"This high rate of the use of anti-depressants and sleeping pills is
really just a symptom of a deeper problem. We're sending folks back
over and over again in a tremendously stressful environment, and it's
taking its toll. The anti-depressants and sleeping pills are one way
that the military and the individuals are trying to meet that
threat."

There's a lot of debate over whether the use of such medications under
those circumstances is a good idea, Rieckhoff says, adding, "What we
need to look at is how to reduce the overall stress. And that starts
with reducing the deployments. They only get about a year home, if
that, doing a 12-to-16 month tour. We know that about half-a-million
folks have been to Iraq more than once. So, they're going back over
and over again.

"That's why we're seeing the (high) suicide rate in the Army. One-
hundred-fifteen folks in the Army committed suicide last year. That's
the highest rate since 1980. So, we've gotta look at those other
factors that are causing the stress, in addition to the violence, in
addition to the family stress and all of that other stuff that piles
up on the troops."

The chances of someone returning from a deployment suffering from PTSD
increase with each additional time they're sent back, Smith noted,
calling it "a very bad recipe," and Rieckhoff concurred, commenting,
"It is. Simple supply and demand. We continue to increase the demand
on our troops, but we haven't increased the overall number of troops
dramatically. There was an Army Ranger who was recently killed on his
eighth tour.

"Folks coming home are at risk -- about one-in-five are gonna come
home with post-traumatic stress disorder, severe depression. There was
a big study from the Rand Institute a few weeks ago that confirmed
those numbers.

"And we need more support services, both when they're in the military
and, especially, when they come home."

"It's hard to get to a doctor when you're in a war zone," Rieckhoff
continued. "With the recent surge, we increased the number of troops
by about 30,000, but we didn't increase the number of mental health
care workers. We've got to increase the number of folks in the field;
we've got to get them to a doctor more often. It's really hard to get
your prescription checked when you've gotta go across the country or
across your sector in a very dangerous environment, with the roadside
bombs. It's a very dangerous recipe."

At home, says Rieckhoff, "They've got to have follow-up. The V.A.
(Veterans Administration) has a long wait time right now. Hundreds of
thousands of claims are backed up. The average wait time is about 183
days to process a claim. We've got to do a better job at the V.A.,
when they come home, as well, because that's when most folks are gonna
show that they have a mental health problem and seek out the
treatment."

Using these drugs is "definitely a Band Aid solution," Rieckhoff
concluded. "We're continuing to send folks over and over again. This
is one way for the Army to keep people in the fight. We know
recruiting numbers are stressed, retention numbers are stressed, and
this is one way for ... the Pentagon to keep people on the front
lines. But there is a long-term cost to the military and for the
individuals.

"This week, in the House and Senate, we'll be fighting for a new G.I.
Bill. That's a critical way to take care of these folks when they come
home as well, and we've got to pay up and take care of our veterans
when they come home."

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URL: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/10/earlyshow/main4168696.shtml