De Oorlogsstaat 23

Zolang de militairen de slachtoffers van hun slachtpartijen niet van nabij zien, is de oorlog nog lekker spannend, maar zodra ze geconfronteerd worden met ontplofte hoofden, uit elkaar gerukte rompen, rondvliegende ledematen, uitpuilende darmen is de kick er gauw vanaf. Zeker als ook nog eens hun eigen kameraden verminkt worden. En dan komen de herinneringen, een leven lang. De Los Angeles Times bericht: 'Study Details Mental Health of War Veterans. More than one-third sought psychological help in the year after their return from Iraq. One in eight soldiers returning from service during the first year of the Iraq war was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or some other mental illness, according to the most comprehensive study yet of the effects of war on the mental health of veterans More than one-third of the veterans had sought psychological help in the year after their return, but the majority required only one or two visits to resolve their concerns, said the team at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research that conducted the study.The results, reported today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., are based on a study of computerized medical records of 300,000 soldiers and are thought to be the most accurate indicator to date of the percentage of soldiers requiring mental health services.The results did not surprise those involved in the care of veterans."I think it's probably on a par with what you would expect," said Dr. Charles W. Hoge of Walter Reed.In the Persian Gulf War, he said, the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder among combat soldiers was about 10% to 12%.Nonetheless, the new study shows that mental health issues represent a problem for many veterans."The study confirms what we've heard from our members for the last two years — that mental health issues and [post-traumatic stress disorder] are among the No. 1 issues facing Iraq veterans," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.' Lees verder:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/complete/la-sci-veterans1mar01,1,6022835.story Of:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0301-06.htm