The true cost of the Afghan war in mental illness for our soldiers revealed

May 2 2010 by David Williamson, Wales On Sunday

THE true cost of the war in Afghanistan to our troops can be revealed today.

Figures exclusive to Wales On Sunday show that hundreds of troops are suffering with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental health issues that often leave them plagued by nightmares and turning to drink.

And it is claimed our soldiers do not receive the help they need as they fight to cope with what they have seen and experienced.

Figures show that since 2007, 260 British Army soldiers have been assessed as having PTSD.

Almost one in 10 of those were medically discharged from the British Army over a 30-month period.

A total of 5,000 other army personnel were given assessments for “other mental health” issues between January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2009. The Army said that 170 were medically discharged – 90 of them because of “mental and behavioural disorders”.

But the total number of soldiers suffering from mental health issues as a result of the war in Afghanistan is far higher. The war started in 2001.

Plaid Cymru, which obtained the figures, is now calling for systematic stress counselling to help soldiers come to terms with the trauma of the war. It is concerned that a “macho culture” stops people seeking help.

Mike Hughes, from Carno, Powys, served as a gunner with 19 Regiment Royal Artillery and is working to overcome PTSD. He was on a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan when a bullet scarred his face. As the disorder took hold, he became plagued by nightmares and started drinking heavily.

He said: “Because I didn’t know anything I thought I was going off the rails.”

Mr Hughes, 25, received help from the charity Combat Stress. “They told me what was going on. It was nice to know where it was all coming from,” he said.

Now a farm-worker, he suffers nightmares “all the time” and said he would have benefited from counselling in the war-zone but conceded that might not be realistic.

He said: “There are thousands out there fighting in lots of situations. There are just not enough counsellors.”

But he said he would like to see a change in the military culture so that people could talk about their struggles.

“They do need to be more open,” he said. “It’s a squaddie mentality to keep personal things to yourself or if you’re in trouble or need help to keep that to yourself.”

Saying nobody emerges from battle untouched, he added: “You see changes in everybody. If you are childish going out there and like to have a laugh, you soon grow up.”

The Royal British Legion is concerned by the prevalence of mental illnesses among veterans.

The charity said: “The extent of mental health problems among the younger ex-Service community is much higher when compared to their peers.

“In the 16 to 44 age group, the number of mental health disorders is three times that of the UK population of the same age.”

Ruth Coombs, of Mind Cymru, said the “barriers of discrimination and stigma” had to be tackled. “People don’t want to step forward because they think, ‘It can’t be happening to me. It only happens to certain types of people’.”

The Assembly Government has responsibility for caring for veterans and they receive priority treatment on the NHS for a health condition related to their military service.

A pilot project to support veterans experiencing mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, as a result of their service, has been extended across Wales. The project was initially funded by £135,000 from the Assembly Government and Ministry of Defence.

The new, all-Wales service will be funded fully by the Assembly Government with an investment of £485,000 a year.