More troops will mean more stress

Once President Obama announces tonight that more than 30,000 additional troops will be sent to Afghanistan, don't think of it as a solution or a Band-Aid.

Don't think that war is ever a solution to problems. At best, it's a measure of prevention; the use of force is sometimes - though rarely - necessary to secure the safety the United States.

Think this: Another 30,000 troops will eventually become veterans who will be at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Remember that there will be more people who not only will be seeking assistance for their physical wounds, but also for their damaged state of mental health.

Since we've had two war fronts since 2003, we've already seen evidence of the impact.

The number of soldiers and Marines diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder jumped tenfold from 2003 to 2007, according to statistics released by the Army’s surgeon general, as reported by Stars and Stripes.

The military attributed the rise in the Army numbers in part to the increase in the overall number of soldiers exposed to combat, but also better record-keeping by the service. But soldiers realize that, if there was no war, the numbers would be significantly lower.

And the numbers could go up even higher since the symptoms of PTSD sometimes don't appear until 10 to 20 years after service.

There are places for veterans with mental illness to turn and find ways to escape a life of ruin and despair.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for the Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery Program's "Priority to Veterans grants."

The purpose of this program is to support expansion of trauma-integrated jail diversion programs to reach the growing number of individuals with post traumatic stress disorder and trauma-related disorders involved in the justice system.

In recognition of the dramatically higher prevalence of trauma related illnesses among veterans, this program will prioritize eligibility for veterans, organizers say. Click here for more information on this grant program, along with the request for applications.