COMBAT STRESS
3,500 troops mentally unfit for war
Its figures show 3,500 serving personnel, roughly one in every 40, have been diagnosed with mental illness and medically downgraded.
Of those, 500 troops have posttraumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or other war zones.
General the Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, called the figures obtained under freedom of information rules “very concerning”.
The stats come as a growing number of serving and ex-troops are feared to have killed themselves because of PTSD – at least seven this year and 80 in 2018.
There has also been a rise in the number of personnel with mental health disorders in the past decade.
In 2007-8, 3,557 were diagnosed and 4,886 in 2018, even though there were 40,000 fewer in the armed forces.
Troops were downgraded temporarily, or permanently, for depression, mood and adjustment disorders and psychoactive substance abuse as well as PTSD.
In total, 35,000 of the UK’S 145,000 troops have been medically downgraded for physical and mental health problems.
They are limited in roles they can perform on exercises and operations abroad.
Lord Dannatt said:“i am very concerned by the rise in the number of Armed Forces personnel suffering she surprised herself. She said: “I’d vowed I would never put myself in danger again and then here I am putting myself in the thick of it. I was really going outside my comfort zone, but I believe that’s healthy.”
The former Strictly star has a newfound newf respect for the police and hhow they manage to control their emotions.
She Sh said: “They have to bury their the own issues while wearing that uniform.
“Tthey’re so vulnerable to PTSD and to becoming depressed. They can’t be doing that job for the financial reward. finan
“They’re doing it because they genuinely g care about safety and people being wronged who shouldn’t be. We should celebrate the police – they’re
superhuman.” from mental health issues.” He said this may reflect a better understanding of mental health and willingness to come forward but “all is not well in Defence”.
He said: “All thr three services are widely committed on operations, overseas deplo deployments and training, putting pressure on individuals and t their families. “I’m not convin convinced enough is being spent on personnel ma matters such as
good housing, barrack maintenance, allowances to mitigate some of the difficult circumstances of service life and general welfare. I fear the tightness of the MOD budget is now beginning to have a major negative effect on service people.”
The Sunday People’s Save Our Soldiers campaign is fighting for better health care for our troops.
Former Royal Marine Sergeant Major Jeff Williams, who runs the Veterans United Against Suicide group, said: “These figures are the tip of the iceberg. If something is not done, the numbers o of suicides in the serving an and veterans communities is only going to get worse.”
An MOD spokesman sa said: “We take the mental wellbeing of our service personnel extremely seriously and urge anyone s struggling to come forward and access care they deserve.”