Mental health alert for UK troops leaving Iraq.

As Britain prepares to pull hundreds of troops out of Iraq, doctors and nurses at home are getting ready to treat not only their physical wounds, but also the psychological ones. More than four years of conflict in Iraq, and six years of fighting in Afghanistan, have taken a toll on the armed forces, both in terms of the number killed -- at last count 252 as well as the number mentally and physically wounded. Read It Here



(RG) I have predicted a huge mental health problem due to the length of time conflicts such as Iraq & Afghanistan have lasted and it can only get worse. Locally I have noticed in the paper cases of servicemen being involve in violent incidents. A young soldier who has seen death first hand in Basra wont take to kindly to a young lad around about his own age knocking in to him and spilling his beer, he will look at him as a civilian and all the soldiers taught aggression will explode in an over the top display of violence. Then there is the other side of the coin where the veteran will take his own life, not to mention as has affected me personally divorce and a spiral of more heavy drinking and more depression and violence. It is a merry go round of misery and its really difficult to get off. Even Falklands veterans on my old Regimental web site have been verbally attacked by Iraq & Afghanistan veterans with comments like `A little scuffle in the South Atlantic` and asking `How many men did you loose?` Now I’m not a trick cyclist but I feel that these insults to veterans from earlier conflicts maybe be the onset of a Post Battle Condition, the Iraq veteran feels he needs to be valued by his previous Regimental veterans. I have seen this a few times on other web sites , its usually worse between different Nations like the recent `Coward` slur to British veterans leaving Basra from some Americans. Obviously they are not cowards and are just doing what they are ordered, if they were ordered to go back in to Basra they would because they are soldiers and that what they do. I really do fear for the future of veterans with PTSD and other problems because in this Former Great Britain the resources are simply not there, how can we address complicated issues such as PTSD when we cannot even provide the basic necessities , like pyjamas for our wounded soldiers? PTSD is at the end of a very long list. As I have said before, the War in Iraq , Afghanistan or even the Falklands can visit any one of us due to a mentally disturbed veteran with too much ale or drugs inside him and all that he can hope for is that he does not kill an innocent civilian and a long stretch in jail.


Reservists mental suffering is acute and too often neglected


A "tsunami" of mental health problems resulting from the war in Iraq is "headed our way," - - Charles Figley



© Mack (RG) The thoughts of a Falklands War Veteran.
Rogue_gunner_32_alpha@yahoo.co.uk