DeLauro, Courtney Amend Defense Authorization Bill to Include a PTSD Mental Health Screening Program

Press Release

Last year, 121 Army soldiers committed suicide - a 20% increase from the previous year. The number of attempted suicides or self-inflicted injuries in the Army has jumped sixfold since the Iraq war began, with about 2,100 soldiers injuring themselves or attempting suicide last year. According to the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, today, among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of suicides may exceed the number who have been killed in combat.

"All U.S. forces should receive top quality mental health care. It is that simple, and this amendment represents a powerful step in that direction. Through this program, we will be able to identify the best practices for the most effective, mandatory post-deployment screening, suicide prevention and mental health care possible," DeLauro said when speaking on the House floor in support of the legislation. "We have no excuse for failing the soldiers who have given their nation everything. Let's give them the long life, good health, and quality care, they have earned."

"An overwhelming number of injuries of this war are unseen, but we can't address the mental health of our troops if we don't have the information we need to properly treat them. The current process for mental health screening is alarmingly inadequate and my office has seen first hand the reality of this problem for soldiers on multiple deployments. I am proud to join with Congresswoman DeLauro, a tireless advocate for improving the mental health of our troops, in making important improvements to this process," said Courtney

The amendment would require the Defense Department to conduct a demonstration project at two military installations - active duty and reserve - to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of providing face-to-face post-deployment mental health screening between a soldier and a mental health provider. The two year project will include a combat stress evaluation conducted by a qualified mental health professional 120 to 180 days of the date the soldier returns. And a case manager will follow up by phone over the course of another two years.

In April, the Rand Corporation published a study finding that about 20 % of U.S. troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001 - approximately 300,000 men and women - suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. But only about half of those soldiers have actually sought treatment, and only half of them have received even minimally adequate care.

The amendment is modeled after legislation DeLauro introduced - the Sgt. Jonathan Schulze Military Mental Health Services Improvement Act - to ensure that our troops receive adequate pre- and post-deployment mental health evaluations. Sgt. Schulze was an Iraq war veteran who committed suicide after being denied care to address his PTSD symptoms.

Source