Number of traumatized German troops hits record high
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, Nov 10, IRNA -- The number of traumatized German soldiers returning from foreign military operations reached a record high, the daily Mitteldeutschen Zeitung reported in its Wednesday edition.
Some 483 troops have been diagnosed with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during the first nine months of this year which was already higher than the total number of 466 in 2009.
There has been a steady surge in the number of those diagnosed with PTSD since 2007 when 149 cases were reported.
Most of the soldiers diagnosed with PTSD were deployed either in Afghanistan or the Balkan region.
German military officials expected the number of traumatized troops to rise as a result of widening combat actions in Afghanistan and the subsequent surge in German military deaths.
The German press reported earlier this year about a serious shortage of psychiatrists to treat the afflicted soldiers.
There was reportedly only one psychiatrist for the 4,500 German soldiers based in Afghanistan.
OT**1394
Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30067431
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