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Members of the British Armed Forces suffer from increased rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mainly among those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, a new study revealed on Monday.
The current post-traumatic stress rates among current and former military personnel reached 6% in 2014/16, up from 4% in 2004/2006, revealed the study from King's College in London.
The findings of a major cohort study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, showed that front-line soldiers were the most affected, as were those who left the army ever since.
About 17% of ex-combatants in Iraq or Afghanistan reported symptoms suggestive of probable PTSD, compared to 6% of those deployed in supportive roles, such as logistics.
The overall rate of probable PTSD among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was nine percent, compared with five percent of those who had not deployed in these conflicts.
During this time, the probable rate of PTSD among current staff was 5%, which is close to the rate observed in the general population.
"For the first time, we found that the risk of post-traumatic stress among veterans deployed in conflict was significantly higher than among those who are still on duty," said Dr. Sharon Stevelink of the United States. Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience of King & # 39; s.
Professor Nicola Fear, also from IoPPN, said: "One of the possible reasons for post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans may be that staff with mental disorders is more likely to leave the armed forces. "
The study, funded by the Department of Defense, was conducted by the King's Center for Military Health Research.
It began in 2003 and involved 8,093 participants, 62% of them in Iraq, where British troops were deployed between 2003 and 2011 or in Afghanistan (2001-2014).
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