Thousands of British frontline veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are facing escalating mental health problems, alcoholism and family breakdown, the Guardian newspaper reported on Friday.
An extensive examination of the British military has found that prolonged periods in conflict are linked to higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological distress and problems at home, the Guardian said a report.
The Kings College London military health centre's study of 5,547 veterans of overseas tours focused on the 20 percent who were deployed for more than 13 months within a three-year period, the maximum recommended time limit set by the government.
The study covered the period since 2001 and included tours of duty by British service members of the army, navy and air force in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as Kosovo and Sierra Leone, the paper said. The researchers found that uncertainty about when personnel would return home was linked to mental distress.
"A clear and explicit policy on the duration of each deployment of armed forces personnel may reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder," the researchers concluded.
"An association was found between deployment for more than a year in the past three years and mental health that might be explained by exposure to combat," the report said.
They found that nearly one in four of those deployed for longer than 13 months had "severe" alcohol problems compared with one in 10 of those deployed for less than five months.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is running at a rate of 5.2 percent of those deployed above the 13-month limit compared with 3 percent of those who spent less than five months in conflict.
There was pressure on the British government to address accusations that the military is currently overstretched, forcing personnel into longer tours of duty. The opposition parties have said the burden on the military was another reason to start phased withdrawal from Iraq.
Source: Xinhua
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