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, and 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 the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a shortage of therapists.
From 2007 to 2008, about 20 percent 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 percent.
The total number of outpatient mental-health visits for children of men and women on active duty doubled from 1 million in 2003 to 2 million in 2008. During the same period, the yearly bed days for military children 14 and younger increased from 35,000 to 55,000, the documents show.
Overall, the number of children and spouses of active-duty personnel and Guard and Reserve troops seeking mental-health care has been steadily increasing as the military struggles with 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.
But the 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, the military has been encouraging troops’ family members to seek mental-health help when needed. The military plans additional research.
Still, the statistics seem to reinforce the concerns of military leaders and private family organizations about the strains of the wars.
