One in 12 US troops suffer trauma
London, 2008 Jan 15, IRIB
Around one in 12 the American forces exposed to combat in Iraq or Afghanistan have suffered from psychological trauma, a rate four times that of counterparts who were not sent to war, a study says.
"The unpredictability and intensity of urban combat, constant risk of roadside bombs, multiple and prolonged tours, and complex problems of differentiating enemies from allies can leave many troops with high stress levels and lasting health consequences," the authors warn.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the term for a range of symptoms that include nightmares, memory flashbacks and chronic anxiety, with the individual often turning to alcohol or drugs for solace.
The paper, published online on Wednesday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), is exceptional, in that it quizzed tens of thousands of military personnel about their psychological health before their deployment, and then asked them again, on their return.
Research into PTSD is typically done retroactively, which means it can be impossible to know whether an individual had some of the symptoms of PTSD, or was prone to them, before being deployed.
The authors, led Tyler Smith, director of the Pentagon's center for deployment health research, questioned 77,047 active members of the American military between July 2001 and June 2003 to launch a 21-year health study.
The volunteers came from all four military branches -- the army, air force, navy and marines. They were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their psychological and emotional states and substance use.
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