Invisible Wounds of War. Summary and Recommendations for Addressing Psychological and Cognitive Injuries
Abstract
Since October 2001, approximately 1.64 million U.S. troops have deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF; Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF; Iraq). The pace of the deployments in these current conflicts is unprecedented in the history of the all-volunteer force (Belasco, 2007; Bruner, 2006). Not only is a higher proportion of the armed forces being deployed, but deployments have been longer, redeployment to combat has been common, and breaks between deployments have been infrequent (Hosek, Kavanagh, and Miller, 2006). At the same time, episodes of intense combat notwithstanding, these conflicts have produced casualty rates of killed or wounded that are historically lower than in earlier prolonged con icts, such as Vietnam and Korea. Advances in both medical technology and body armor mean that more servicemembers are surviving experiences that would have led to death in prior wars (Regan, 2004; Warden, 2006). However, casualties of a different kind-invisible wounds, such as mental health conditions and cognitive impairments resulting from deployment experiences- are just beginning to emerge. Recent reports and increasing media attention have prompted intense scrutiny and examination of these injuries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA480992
Entities
People
- Benjamin R. Karney
- Christine Eibner
- Grant N. Marshall
- Jeanne S. Ringel
- Lisa H. Haycox
- Lisa S. Meredith
- M. A. Burnam
- Mary E. Vaiana
- Terry L Schell
- Terry Tanielian
Organizations
- RAND Corporation