By IAN BRUCE DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT
ONE in six American soldiers in Afghanistan and one in eight in Iraq are taking daily doses of prescription antidepressants, sleeping pills or painkillers to help them cope with the stresses of combat, according to figures contained in a US Army mental health advisory team report seen by The Herald.
The findings mean that at least 20,000 troops are on medication such as Prozac or diamorphine while serving in the front line or on equally dangerous convoy escort or driving duties in conflicts where insurgents regularly target the supply chain.
While the vast majority would have been barred automatically from combat roles in earlier wars on medical and safety grounds, the pressure to provide up to 200,000 soldiers at any given time for the two major deployments has led to a relaxation of the rules.
Most of those affected are on their second or third tour of duty and 10per cent are predicted to be at high risk of developing “stress illnesses” including post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Pentagon admitted that medication was tolerated because those sent to Afghanistan or Iraq were “younger and healthier than the general population” and had been screened for mental illnesses before enlisting.
It also said it had no way of knowing exactly how many troops were taking medicinal drugs because an unknown number brought the pills with them from home rather than having them issued by a military doctor.
Official military surveys claim that while all soldiers deployed to an active war zone will feel stressed, roughly 70per cent will recover completely soon after a tour ends.
Another 20per cent will suffer “temporary stress injuries” which can bring on symptoms such as insomnia, panic attacks and growing feelings of depression, but which should also pass relatively quickly.
By contrast, the British military has a “zero tolerance” policy on drug use – either recreational or medicinal – which precludes service in frontline units.
Random drug tests where UK soldiers are found to have illegal narcotics in their system lead to automatic dismissal, while those on prescription medicines for injuries or behavioural disorders which might affect their performance or put others lives at risk are relegated to administrative duties.
The need for the US to maintain garrisons of 147,000 men and women in Iraq and 33,000 more in Afghanistan, plus units running the logistics chain in neighbouring countries, means that the US Army, National Guard and Marine Corps are overstretched by rolling, year- long deployments which have intensified over the past five years.
The US Army’s annual mental health surveys have been running since 2003 and show that almost 30per cent of troops on their third deployment suffer from psychological problems as a result of seeing friends and colleagues killed or maimed.
Colonel Charles Hoge, one of the leading US military psychologists, told the Pentagon and a Congressional inquiry last year that the current 12month gap between tours is insufficient to allow soldiers to “reset themselves” before facing the horrors of roadside bombs and ambushes again.
Britain tries to ensure ts troops, who serve six-month tours, have a 24-month “harmony” break between each combat assignment .
Meanwhile, 18 sailors on a Royal Navy warship have tested positive for a class A drug, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday The crewmen were caught during routine testing on board HMS Liverpool, which is deployed in the South Atlantic.
A spokeswoman said the drug involved was cocaine and internal disciplinary action was being taken The test had been carried out after the crew had a “run ashore” on a break in Brazil.
Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.
(c) 2008 Herald, The; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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