As today marks the 10-year anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom and the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, a newly released Pentagon report found that the longer a service member is at home between combat tours, the greater the risk of a mental health problem, USA Today reports.
The researchers analyzed 1.4 million U.S. troops who served in combat in either Iraq or Afghanistan between October 2001 and December 2010. They found an increased number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression among service members on their second and third deployments. This number decreased, though, as tours continued.
Multiple deployments also affected the health care workers involved in these conflicts. Instances of mental health problems among this group were seen at a higher rate than other deployed troops.
Source: USA Today
Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.