Depression among Soldiers of Invading Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan

Depression among the soldiers of invading forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has been rising markedly; yet, the media outlets associated with warmongers in the United States, as well as the television networks in this country, refuse to cover the story.

Since the start of the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, the problem of depression among U.S. and U.K. soldiers has been noticeable.

The United States Department of Defense, in a report acknowledging the six-fold increase in mental illnesses among the American soldiers in Iraq, has expressed concern about the issue. It has also been disclosed in the same report that the number of mental illnesses and disorders among U.S. military personnel is on the rise.

According to this Pentagon report, the U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from various mental disorders and psychological illnesses. The problem has become so prevalent that even the U.S. Department of Defense cannot deny its gravity. This is when the level of depression among the experienced soldiers has increased dramatically.

The report indicates that the rate of mental disorders among soldiers involved in the war has increased six-fold from 2003 to 2008. The data shows that casualties resulting from mental disorders in the U.S. Army are twice as high as in the U.S. Navy and three times higher than in the U.S. Air Force. Based on the data available since 2003, 4,400 U.S. service personnel have lost their lives in Iraq, and the war has cost hundreds of billions of dollars so far. Not long ago, the King’s Centre for Military Health Research [KCMHR] at the Institute of Psychiatry* in London also reported that alcoholism and depression are rampant among British soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Based on the studies of British psychologists, more than 27 percent of troops returning from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer post-deployment mental health problems, and around five percent have post traumatic stress disorder as a result of wartime trauma. Amy Iversen of KCMHR, who led the study, said it showed the health needs of active troops and should be a priority for health care planners and policy makers.

Iversen stresses in the study that alcohol abuse among veterans is directly linked to wartime trauma, requiring serious consideration in dealing with the issue. Around 170,000 British troops have been deployed to these war zones since 2001. In the study, 821 soldiers were found to suffer from depression, mental disorders and psychological issues. The researchers also said they found that reservists deployed to Iraq were at greater psychiatric risk than regular personnel.

*Editor’s Note: According to its website, KCMHR “is a collaboration of the Institute of Psychiatry, the Department of War Studies and the Medical School, each part of King’s College, London.”