Vets' Mental Issues Slow to Surface: Study

US troops report worse mental health several months after returning from Iraq than immediately after getting home, an Army study shows. Upon return home, one general said, “you’re almost euphoric,” but later “the stress starts to resurface.” The study also found that National Guard reservists were at much greater risk of disorders than active-duty troops.

35.5% of returning reservists reported mental-health concerns—compared to 27.1 of active-duty soldiers—in a second post-combat screening, the Washington Post reports, possibly because they leave a support network of fellow veterans for civilian jobs, the authors posit. The survey of 88,000 veterans also revealed that many had increased difficulty with family relationships, in line with previous wars. (More PTSD stories.)