It is thought that out of the 2.6 million servicemen and women presently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan – up to 20% are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. As a result, the US government is developing more resources to diagnose and treat soldiers, but many are still not benefiting from help and therapy. Unfortunately, only around 50% of those affected receive treatments, and many patients are not offered any follow-up assessments.
There is also evidence that some soldiers believe their career will end if they admit to experiencing PTSD type symptoms. For instance, one serviceman who served in Afghanistan for 15 months, suffered severe injuries after being involved in a grenade attack, admitted, “I just didn’t want to anyone to know I had an issue, I didn’t want to know myself”.
In a recent speech, the US Defence Secretary expressed concerns relating to the nature of PTSD and asserted that commanding officers must be supportive and non-judgmental if soldiers are injured during combat and experience subsequent trauma.
PTSD is often triggered by a specific event such as being in combat, suffering injury or witnessing death and can lead to a range of mental-health problems such as: erratic concentration, extreme anxiety and volatile responses to situations. Recently the US agency – The Institute of Medicine, organised a panel as a means of devising the most effective strategies on how to treat PTSD both in the short and long-term. The panel concluded that servicemen and women required a range of treatments and therapies in order to overcome the stresses of the condition, including: intensive counselling, yoga, acupuncture and occupational therapy.