SOLDIER'S KIDS' MENTAL HEALTH REQUESTS DOUBLE PRE-IRAQ NUMBERS

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a terrible toll on children of service personnel.

There has been an alarming spike in the number of military kids hospitalized for mental health reasons.

There is a shortage of therapists and with the war in Afghanistan getting worse it is expected the rise in children of military personnel will be seeking more and more mental health help.

Soldiers' kids' mental health requests hit double pre-Iraq number


The Associated Press
Wednesday, July 8th 2009, 4:00 AM

WASHINGTON - Children of U.S. military troops sought outpatient mental health care 2 million times last year - double the number at the start of the Iraq war.


There was also an alarming spike in the number of military kids actually hospitalized for mental health reasons.

Internal Pentagon documents show the increases, which come as the services struggle with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a shortage of therapists.


From 2007 to 2008, some 20% more children of active-duty troops were hospitalized for mental health services, the documents show. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, inpatient visits among military children have increased 50%.

The overall number of children and spouses of active-duty personnel and National Guard and reserves troops seeking mental health care has been steadily increasing during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last year's increase in child hospitalizations coincided with the "surge" of tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops into Iraq to stabilize the country.

However, reasons for the treatment increases are not clear from the documents.

Besides the impact of service members' repeated tours in overseas war zones - and the severe economic recession that has affected all American families - the military has been encouraging troops' family members to seek mental health help when needed.