Covering all the bases

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Covering all the bases

By Boston Herald Editorial Staff | Monday, April 21, 2008
A startling study released last week suggests one in five service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffers symptoms of depression or post-traumatic stress. But barely half are seeking treatment.

It’s a mark of progress that we are studying these trends in the midst of the conflict, rather than viewing the damage through the prism of history. The challenge, of course, is to ensure appropriate steps are taken to deal with it.

The data last week was compiled by the RAND Corp., but, according to the Defense Department, confirms the government’s own findings. According to the study, only 53 percent of service members and returning veterans have sought treatment for their mental ailments, and only half received adequate treatment.

It is heartening, then, to see Massachusetts taking steps to ensure that Bay State veterans who need help are getting it. The Patrick administration last week signed into law a bill that creates a new commission to study the “hidden wounds of war” of returning Massachusetts veterans.

In addition to studying the impact of war on the mental health of Massachusetts vets in particular, the panel will establish a treatment program for Mass. National Guard members, a military family leave policy for caregivers and a statewide education program to train first responders to recognize early warnings signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

It is, of course, the duty of the federal government to bind the wounds, physical and mental, of those it sends off to fight. In times like these, the team approach doesn’t hurt.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/editorials/view.bg?articleid=1088474