Newzity

In terms of human suffering, one in every five military personnel who was deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression. As for economic cost it is about $6.2 billion over the next two years.

About 19 percent of total 1.6 million military personnel who have been to Iraq or Afghanistan over the last five years have the symptoms of PTSD. That is a total of 300,000 veterans. This is consistent with the survey done in 2007. The survey found that 17 percent of active duty personnel and 25 percent of reservists developed those symptoms. About half of them tried to get some help, and only half of them got barely adequate medical treatment. Slightly higher percentage of veterans, or total of 320,000, had suffered portable traumatic brain injury (TBT). The total cost of PTSD including medical care, loss of productivity, and suicide would be about $6.2 billion over the next two years. The number for TBT is about $900 million.

The private study by Rand Corp was published in a 500-page report, titled “Invisible Wounds of War.”