Defence written question – answered at on 18 April 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of mental health problems that have arisen among troops returning from military service in Iraq.
The Ministry of Defence recognises mental illness, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as a serious and disabling condition, but one that can be treated. We attach a high priority to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Currently, less than 0.1 per cent. of all service personnel (including those who have served in Iraq) have had to be discharged from the armed forces because of psychological illness.
Between January 2003 and December 2005 inclusive, 1,551 UK service personnel who had served in Iraq were subsequently assessed as suffering from a mental health disorder. This represents around 1.5 per cent. of total UK service personnel deployed to the region during the same period. Of those 1,551 personnel, 208 were assessed as suffering from PTSD. A further 696 personnel were diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, which will include some who have post traumatic symptoms not amounting to full PTSD but with some symptoms of post traumatic stress. Other personnel were diagnosed with a range of other mental health conditions, including mood and neurotic disorders, and psychoactive substance misuse.
As a result of the lessons identified during the 1990–91 Gulf conflict, the MOD took early action to put in place a large scale epidemiological study to monitor the physical and psychological health of personnel who served on Operation TELIC. This research is being undertaken by King's College London, and the preliminary results are due to be published later this year.
Yes0 people think so
No1 person thinks not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.