Combat's Hidden Toll: 1 in 10 Soldiers Report Mental Health Problems

But by using a less stringent definition of PTSD, they found between 20 and 30 percent of soldiers showed symptoms of PTSD, while they found between 11.5 to 16 percent of them were depressed.

U.S. Marines attached to the 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina control...

U.S. Marines attached to the 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina control crossroads at dusk in Garmsir district of Helmand Province while pursuing militants after being attacked earlier in the morning December 20, 2009. According to a new study conducted by researchers 1 in 10 soldiers returning from Afghanistan may suffer from mental health problems.

(Adrees Latif /Reuters)

National Guard Soldiers Experienced an Increase in Symptoms

That doesn't surprise Daniel Hutchison, a former Army National Guard medic who served in Iraq from September 2006 to September 2007.

"I felt like I came back to a world that didn't care," he said of his post-deployment return to civilian life. "It's hard to adjust to being a civilian and re-integrating."

Thomas theorized it could also be due to the temporary nature of their lives as soldiers.

"National Guard soldiers demobilize, go back to their civilian lives and drill once a month, so they lose peer support and unit support," he said.

Rhodes agreed. Now that he counsels other soldiers dealing with mental health problems, he meets al lot of National Guard soldiers who are having post-deployment struggles.

"You go back to the community and don't see your fellow soldiers for 30 days, and then you only see them twice a month," he said.

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The study also found that of the soldiers who had PTSD or depression, about half of them reported problems with alcohol or aggressive behaviors.

This increased between 3 months and 12 months after deployment among National Guard soldiers, but stayed about the same among full-time, active duty veterans.

Hutchison also had problems with alcohol after he came back his tour of duty in Iraq.

"I came back home and drank a lot. I was sitting on my couch with a pistol in my mouth," he said.

Soldiers Are a "Band of Brothers" on Duty

"They can see a combat stress counselor and at the same time, they've got their buddies. They've got their own counseling," Rhodes said.

"It was a 'Band of Brothers' environment. We didn't really talk to each other about it, but we could look into each others' eyes and see we were going through the same thing," said Hutchison.

It's that support that's vital to helping soldiers understand and manage their PTSD and other mental health problems.

"The first step is to admit you have PTSD," Hutchison said.

"A lot of soldiers are in denial because they're scared and they want to have a career, and if you have a weakness, they think the Army is going to get rid of you," said Rhodes.