WASHINGTON - Children of U.S. military troops sought outpatient mental-health care two 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 hospitalized for mental-health reasons.
Internal Pentagon documents show the increases, which come as the services struggle with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a shortage of therapists.
The total number of outpatient mental-health visits for children of active-duty men and women doubled from one million in 2003, the year of the Iraq invasion, to two million in 2008, the documents show. Yearly bed days for military children age 14 and under increased from 35,000 to 55,000 over the same period.
Overall, the number of children and spouses of active-duty personnel and Guard and Reserve troops seeking mental-health care has been steadily increasing for several years. 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.
Along with issues of separation, some families must deal with injuries or the deaths of loved ones. And military families move, on average, nearly every three years, which adds more stress.
"Army families are stretched, and they are stressed," Sheila Casey, wife of Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the U.S. Army chief of staff, told a congressional panel last month. "And I have often referred to them as the most brittle part of the force."
Evidence of domestic violence and child neglect among military families, as well as an increase in suicide, alcohol abuse, and cases of post-traumatic stress, are all troubling signs, she told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee. She and other military spouses testified that gaining access to mental-health care was a problem.
At summer camps organized by the National Military Family Association for about 10,000 children, most of them kids of deployed soldiers, there have been more anecdotal reports this year of young people taking medication, and showing signs of severe homesickness, anxiety, or depression, said Patricia Barron, who runs the association's youth initiatives.
Barron, a military spouse, said her group was participating in a study on deployments and families. Much is still unknown about the effects.
"In the long run, you have to wonder if there isn't going to be detrimental effects that might hang on for a long period of time," Barron said.
The shortage of mental-health professionals isn't just isolated to the military. But the problem is more pronounced because of increased demand, both at home and in the war zones.
About 20 percent to 30 percent of service members returning from war report some psychological distress.
There are efforts under way to encourage the military, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and state and local agencies to share mental-health resources. In recent years, there has been an increase in funding in areas such as education, housing, and child care devoted to improving the quality of life for military families.
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