MoD doctor: we've no idea how many troops suffer from trauma
Fight for our veterans: Military psychiatrist fuels debate about Britain's treatment of soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan
By Terri Judd
One of the country's most senior military psychiatrists admitted yesterday that the Government has "no idea" how big a problem it faces in the number of traumatised troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Experts have predicted an "explosion" of post-traumatic stress sufferers with many combat veterans unwilling to seek help for years – and sometimes only after their symptoms lead to a life of dependency, destitution or even crime.
Two weeks ago the Army's most decorated serving soldier, L/Cpl Johnson Beharry, said in an interview with this newspaper that the Government was "disgracefully" failing those it sends to war. L/Cpl Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, was backed by a host of commanders and tapped into military anger so acute that The Independent launched a campaign to get better treatment for veterans. Dr Ian Palmer, a former lieutenant-colonel and now the Ministry of Defence's civilian expert on veterans' mental health, conceded: "We have no idea of the size or scale of the problem."
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linked from ICasualties.org
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