The Army is asking soldiers who go to the doctor for ailments such as back pain or colds to answer questions about depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in a bid to identify those who may need help.

About 63,000 soldiers out of 2 million screened during routine doctor appointments since 2007 have tested positive for previously unrecognized and untreated mental health problems, according to Col. Charles Engel, a Walter Reed National Military Medical Center doctor.

“The patients may be there for anything from a broken arm to an upper respiratory problem,” Engel told experts gathered at a recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. “Very seldom do people go to their primary care doctor just for stress or depression problems.”

Studies show that the average person with PTSD waits 12 years before being treated. As recently as 2004, only about a quarter of soldiers who were suffering from PTSD were getting specialized care, he said.Click here to read more