Ancient Egyptians and Sumerians had phrases for it. The poet Homer and the playwright William Shakespeare described it. During the Civil War, it was known as “soldier’s heart.” In World War I, it was shell shock.

Today it’s post-traumatic stress disorder, a facile title which still doesn’t quite capture the full condition. “PTSD is an overused unofficial diagnosis,” says psychologist Roy Driver, team leader at the Lewiston Vet Center.

Veterans in counseling at the Vet Center care little for titles; they care about relief. They suffer from nightmares, quick tempers and mood swings. The mundane, like bland supermarket chats, can send them into rages. Some awake bathed in sweat. All feel nobody but a soldier can understand.

For too long, soldiers suffered in silence. World War II veterans didn’t know how to ask for help. Vietnam veterans, the first group offered mental health services, faced the stigma of “mental illness.” Now, about 30,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking care at vet centers have PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We anticipate that the demand for these services will not decrease,” said Col. Elspeth Ritchie, the psychiatric consultant to the Army’s surgeon general, during congressional hearings in September. “Unquestionably, war challenges the psychological health of our troops and their families.”

This is why revelations of under-funded veteran mental health services is so troubling. In September, the General Accounting Office found the VA failed to spend $300 million for mental health programs in 2005 and 2006.

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, who requested the GAO study, said there is “no accountability for spending the resources required to fulfill the VA’s own mental health plan.”

Michaud is described in reverential tones at the Lewiston Vet Center. Some vets call him “the man,” or the “only Democrat I’ll ever vote for.” The congressman from East Millinocket has earned this reputation, and his star is rising, as the new Democratic majority in Congress could earn him a stronger voice on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

His efforts are applauded and needed, especially in this time of war. On Oct. 19, a report found PTSD cases among Iraq veterans doubled, from 4,467 in Oct. 2005 to 9,103 by June 2006. The same report determined veteran centers nationwide face staff shortages under this increased demand, with several having established waiting lists.

For decades, the issue of mental health for veterans was ignored or misunderstood; only now is it being embraced. In Iraq alone, for example, there are 200 behavioral health providers available for soldiers, according to the VA.

The stigma is melting away, too. Counseling has been made mandatory for Maine National Guard troops upon returning from Iraq, said Driver, as psychologists and soldiers realize early treatment equals smoother re-adjustments.

Failing to fund mental health services for veterans is unconscionable. Wartime means supporting the troops. The sentiment, though, is usually directed toward those in harm’s way

It should be just as strong for those here at home, as well.