Mental health study shows strain of deployment, combat

[Ilsa]

http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-987977.php
Mental health study shows strain of deployment, combat

By Deborah Funk
Times staff writer

July 21, 2005

The Army needs to continue to make it easier for soldiers in Iraq to receive mental health care and reduce the stigma associated with it, according to Army mental health experts.

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The team’s assessment that showed mental health and well-being of soldiers is improving compared to a study conducted a year earlier, although the picture is still far from rosy.

Slightly more than half of soldiers said morale was low or very low in their units — an improvement over the previous study, in which nearly three in four soldiers reported low morale in their units.

The most commonly reported combat-related stressors are roadside bombs and mortar and rocket attacks, according to the study, released July 20.

Outside of combat stressors, most soldiers still are concerned about the length of their deployments. The Army has the longest standard tours in Iraq of any service, at 12 months.

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