LOS ANGELES (AFP) - One in six American soldiers returning from Iraq is suffering from psychological trauma, and the problem is likely to get worse as more troops return from longer tours.
A study by a US army research institute found that 15.6 percent of Marines and 17.1 percent of soldiers surveyed after they returned from Iraq suffered major depression, generalized anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, the Los Angeles Times said.
The disorder,
formally identified by the American Psychiatric Association in 1985, is a debilitating change in the brain's chemistry that can include sleep disorders, panic attacks, violent outbursts, and acute anxiety, among other symptoms.
More than 30 percent of US veterans of the Vietnam War were afflicted, plunging tens of thousands into homelessness, addiction, crime and despair.
Mental health experts said the psychological fallout of the Iraq war was likely to worsen.
"The bad news is that the study underestimated the prevalence of what we are going to see down the road," said Matthew Friedman, executive director of the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the US Veterans Administration.
Iraq Net articleA study by a US army research institute found that 15.6 percent of Marines and 17.1 percent of soldiers surveyed after they returned from Iraq suffered major depression, generalized anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, the Los Angeles Times said.
The disorder,
formally identified by the American Psychiatric Association in 1985, is a debilitating change in the brain's chemistry that can include sleep disorders, panic attacks, violent outbursts, and acute anxiety, among other symptoms.
More than 30 percent of US veterans of the Vietnam War were afflicted, plunging tens of thousands into homelessness, addiction, crime and despair.
Mental health experts said the psychological fallout of the Iraq war was likely to worsen.
"The bad news is that the study underestimated the prevalence of what we are going to see down the road," said Matthew Friedman, executive director of the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the US Veterans Administration.
Add these to the death toll, and the wounded in action. And to those, add the toll of depleted uranium effects on those returning otherwise whole.
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