Representative Grace F. Napolitano Representing the 38th District of California
 
  For Immediate Release Contact: 202-225-5256  
October 29, 2009  
     

Rep. Napolitano Applauds New Mental Health Screening for Soldiers

     
     

(Washington D.C.)- Rep. Grace F. Napolitano applauded yesterday as mental health programs included in the 2010 fiscal authorization for the Department of Defense were signed into law by President Barack Obama. Napolitano heralded the new funding for the detection and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a victory for our men and women in uniform.

“This is great news for our soldiers, who will finally get some of the support and protection they need,” Napolitano said. “Full recovery requires both mental and physical health care, and it is time that we gave our troops the treatment they have earned through their service to our country.”

Napolitano was a co-signer of a letter in August that encouraged House leadership to include a comprehensive screening program for post-traumatic stress disorder in the 2010 funding for the Department of Defense. Also funded were counseling programs for National Guard members and their families, and increased scholarships for military personnel pursuing mental health professions.

Department of Veterans Affairs statistics for 2008 show that forty-five percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had a possible mental health diagnosis, and twenty-three percent showed symptoms of PTSD. Suicides among these soldiers have been on the rise, signaling the emergence of a mental health crisis among military personnel and returning veterans.

“These programs should only be the beginning,” Napolitano said. “This war is bringing home a new kind of trauma, and we owe it to our warriors to provide them with the care they need. We must help restore them to some semblance of normalcy, for them, for their families, and for our communities.”

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