Untreated mental health conditions are an enormous problem in the Canadian military, according to a new study published Tuesday.

Researchers with the University of Manitoba analyzed interviews with more than 8,000 active soldiers conducted by Statistics Canada and the Department of Defence in 2002. More than a third of the soldiers in the study needed mental health services, and most of them did not receive such services.

"One of the key findings was that the majority of people with an emotional problem were not getting any sort of help for that problem. Some of the barriers were some stigma issues [and] having difficulties in confidence in the help that's available to them," Dr. Jitender Sareen, associate professor of psychiatry, told CBC News.

The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, marks the first time the numbers have been analyzed by an academic team outside the military. Researchers examined disorders ranging from depression and post-traumatic stress, to generalized anxiety and panic disorders.

"Deployment to combat operations and witnessing atrocities were associated with increased prevalence of mental disorders and perceived need for care," the study's authors said.
 
Senator Romeo Dallaire, a retired general who has been public about his personal battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, said the military and veterans affairs have done a lot in recent years to provide more mental health support. He said he hoped the study results will provide even more incentive for Ottawa to fund mental health programs.

"There's a culture shift that has been ongoing, but it is still an atmosphere that needs a fundamental cultural adaptation, to the extent that those that are injured mentally … must require the same urgency of treatment and care as someone who's got a dangling arm or dangling leg," Dallaire told CBC News.

Since the survey was conducted, the military has opened five operational stress injury clinics across Canada, with another five scheduled to open soon.