1 in 5 U.S. soldiers mentally ill before enlisting

Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. soldiers are mentally ill - including with issues such as depression and panic disorder - before enlisting in the Army, according to a new study, which suggests new recruitment screenings and assessments may be needed.

The confidential survey conducted on more than 5,000 Army soldiers showed that more than 8 percent of them had thought about committing suicide and 1.1 percent of them had actually attempted suicide.

The findings, published in the journal Psychiatry, note that during the recruiting process, applicants are asked about their psychiatric history, and those with certain illnesses are prohibited from serving. However, this method relies on the applicant's honesty.

"People who want to come into the Army are no fools," said Dr. Elspeth Ritchie, a former chief psychiatrist in the Army, in a report from the Los Angeles Times. "They know if you say you had a past suicide attempt, you're probably not going to get in."

One study in 2011 by the Army and the National Institutes of Mental Health questioned soldiers who interviewed for the Army and found that they had higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder than those in the general population.

Researchers of the most recent study showed that nearly 5 percent of soldiers suffered from depression, nearly 6 percent from anxiety disorder and nearly 9 percent from PTSD. The percentage of soldiers who had attempted suicide also rose from 1.1 percent to 2.4 percent.

One expert who led one of these studies is unnerved by these statistics.

"The question becomes, 'How did these guys get in the Army?'" Ronald Kessler, a Harvard University sociologist, said.

Dr. Eric Schoomaker, who served as surgeon general of the Army until 2012, notes that stricter screening may cause soldiers to sweep their problems under the ground. But by identifying these mentally ill recruits, the Army may not meet its recruitment quota.