State vets reporting ill health Returning guardsmen suffer postwar stresses

BANGOR – A large number of Iraq war veterans who served with the Maine Army National Guard are reporting mental health problems and significant stress in work and family relationships, according to a government-funded survey released Monday by Community Counseling Center of Portland.

The center, in cooperation with the Guard, last year anonymously surveyed 532 members, of whom 292 served in Iraq. Most of the Iraq veterans had returned at least a year before they completed the survey, according to the report.

“The study validates what we thought were problem issues that have been talked about on a national level,” Maj. Michael Backus, spokesman for the Maine Army National Guard, said Monday. “The study shows that we are facing them here as well.”

The survey found that more than one-third of Iraq veterans reported “hyperarousal” symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and about one-fourth reported significant symptoms of depression.

Backus said the Guard cooperated in the effort so it could make returning members more aware of the variety of mental health services available not only through the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also in the communities where Guard members live.

“We want to make them aware of what’s out there,” he said, “so that when they get back they can get services very quickly. We’re trying to put together for them a list of all the resources that are available so that they see how the system can work for them.”

Mental health services are available to Guard members through the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, VA clinics and veterans’ centers around the state, Jim Doughty, spokesman for the VA in Maine, said Monday.

VA health care programs, however, do not pay private centers, such as the one in Portland that conducted the study, to provide those services. Guard members who seek private mental health services either would have to pay for those services themselves or use insurance provided through an employer or a private insurance company.

At least 13 percent of Iraq veterans in Maine exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the report. That number is similar to published reports of PTSD for members of the Army and Marines who served in Iraq.

About one in four reported significant symptoms of depression compared to one in 14 Guard members who were not deployed to Iraq. The study also reported that about one in 10 veterans acknowledged that they had had thoughts about suicide since their return.

Guard members deployed to other locations reported significant but less severe readjustment issues consistent with their lower levels of exposure to combat, the study found. More than 75 percent of the Iraq veterans said they had been exposed to combat patrols or other life-threatening situations.

“In addition to having more interpersonal conflict, many Iraq veterans indicated that they felt disconnected or detached from loved ones and civilian friends. They frequently reported not having fun in life and not being able to relax,” the study found.

Very few returning veterans reported that they had sought help for readjustment problems. About one-third, according to the report, said they were interested in receiving help.

Desired services mentioned most often included support groups with other veterans, individual counseling, education regarding war zone stress, anger management and couples counseling. Veterans also reported that they thought family members would be interested in similar services.

The study also may aid the state’s congressional delegation in its support of legislation that would increase funding for mental health services for veterans. The data also may help in efforts to allow community-based providers such as the one in Portland to treat veterans, at federal expense, rather than their having to seek treatment through Veterans Affairs.

Legislation pending in Congress that is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe would extend the window for veterans’ access to mental health care by three years, require face-to-face mental health screenings, and broaden support programs for veterans and their families.

For a copy of the report, visit www.commcc.org.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.