Serving in Iraq does not increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), at least for British troops, according to a report published this week. The report also found no evidence for the existence of an 鈥淚raq war syndrome鈥�.
鈥淚t鈥檚 good to be able to say that at this time, there鈥檚 no repeat of Gulf War syndrome,鈥� says Simon Wessely of the King鈥檚 Centre for Military Health Research at King鈥檚 College London, referring to symptoms that afflicted troops fighting in the area in 1991. Wessely and his colleagues report that British troops returning from action were no more likely than home-based service personnel to suffer from PTSD, or from anxiety and depression, although reserve soldiers did have a slightly increased risk. Veterans from the Gulf War had double the risk.
The findings, published online in The Lancet this week, contrast with recent studies of US troops serving in Iraq. These found that 20 per cent of them suffered from PTSD, compared with just 4 per cent of their British counterparts. Wessely speculates that this may be because US troops operate in more hostile combat zones and also that British troops are more battle-hardened. 鈥淭wo-thirds of British troops have been in deployments elsewhere, compared with only 10 per cent of US troops,鈥� Wessely says. The US also uses more reservists.
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