1300 troops in Iraq plagued by mental health problems

Published on Thursday 16 February 2006 11:14

MORE than 1300 regular and reserve service personnel have returned from the Iraq war with serious mental health problems, new figures show.

And they come amid concern that some of those suffering - particularly Territorial Army soldiers - are not receiving the proper treatment. The statistics were released by Defence Minister Don Touhig to Conservative MP Mark Harper. They show that between January 2003 and September 2005 1333 service men and women in Iraq were diagnosed with mental health problems.

That is almost 1.5 per cent of the overall number who served in the conflict. Out of the combined total, 182 have been found to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 601 military personnel are judged to have "adjustment disorder" - the medical term for the stress of being involved in combat.

A further 237 are classified as suffering from depression with another 167 suffering from other forms of mental illness or substance misuse.

And there are fears Mr Touhig's figures only begin to tell the complete story, as many more psychological problems caused by the war may be hidden. There are also claims that some of the soldiers are not receiving the treatment they need particularly reservists and members of the Territorial Army whose symptoms emerged after they returned to civilian life.

Charles Plumridge of the Gulf War Veterans and Families Association said: "This situation is appalling. The MoD should not be allowed to get away with it. I would not be at all surprised if the figures increase greatly."