The Associated Press reported July 28 that Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley said that the afflicted soldiers typically develop symptoms like anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger, and an inability to concentrate three to four months after returning from overseas.

About 3-5 percent of soldiers are diagnosed with a serious mental-health issue immediately after leaving the combat zone. And about 13 percent experience serious mental-health problems while still in combat areas.

Mental-health problems detected during three- to six-month followup screenings range from mild to severe, with about 4-5 percent of soldiers diagnosed with PTSD. The rate of mental-health problems was higher among National Guard soldiers than regular Army troops, the officials said.

The military has dispatched about 200 mental-health experts to Iraq as "combat stress-control teams" to counsel soldiers and try to prevent suicides and other problems. "They are worth their weight in gold," said Kiley.

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