Women Face Emotional Wounds of War

Army veteran Alicia Flores, 23, who served in Iraq, poses near her South Side Chicago home Nov. 1, 2006. Flores had nightmares and sleepless nights months after returning from Iraq. She now has signed up with Army Reserve and is considering a military career. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (M. Spencer Green - AP)

"They get frustrated with themselves not being able to manage like they did before," she says. "They have to run the kids to school. They have to take them to different functions. Can you imagine what that's like with just two to three hours sleep? You're wondering, 'Am I going to be like this forever?'"

Though it's too soon to gauge the toll on women veterans, some early studies have offered a few clues.

For example, the VA reports that slightly more than a third of 23,635 women veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan evaluated from 2002 to last August had a preliminary diagnosis of a mental disorder.

Those numbers provide just a partial glimpse into the problem: Many women veterans, like men, don't go to VA hospitals or prefer to seek private help.

A second study released early this year also found that of more than 220,000 Iraq veterans, 23.6 percent of women had a mental health concern _ compared with 18.6 percent for men (an insignificant difference, according to Col. Dr. Charles Hoge, one of the study's authors).

Mental health experts say one of the biggest contributors to psychological problems for women in uniform is military sexual trauma _ a term that covers verbal harassment and physical assault, which is a strong risk factor for PTSD.

Studies conducted by the VA health system vary, but generally about 20 percent of women report a physical assault during their service, Westrup says. "Unfortunately, a huge aspect of that experience is guilt and self-blame and shame on top of stress," she adds.

Last year, the Pentagon announced a new policy of confidentiality, so sexual assault victims can report the incident and get help but law enforcement and senior commanders are not immediately notified.

Compounding the emotional turmoil for women are wounds and ailments that range from life-changing _ the loss of limbs and brain injuries _ to temporary, such as infections and rashes.

Some of the short-term health problems are likely tied to the harsh realities of war, where women can go weeks without a shower and spend months hauling gear and lifting heavy weapons in triple-digit heat.

The VA found 29 percent of the women veterans it evaluated returned with genital or urinary system problems, 33 percent had digestive illnesses and 42 percent had back troubles, arthritis and other muscular ailments.

Aneta Urban had a bad back after two tours in Iraq _ one in a Marine military police company. She says she hauled as much as 70 pounds of gear.