Two percent of Afghan-based German troops return home traumatized
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, Apr 6, IRNA -- Two percent of German soldiers based in Afghanistan return home traumatized, according to a study released in Berlin Wednesday by the University of Dresden.
Only every second traumatized German soldier is actually seeking medical help.
The percentage of German troops diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Disorders (PTSD) is still lower than their American and British counterparts serving in Afghanistan.
The number of traumatized German soldiers returning from foreign military operations reached reportedly a record high last year.
Some 483 troops were diagnosed with PTSD during the first nine months of last year which is 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 had 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 has also pointed to 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**1412
Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30326265
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