PTSD and American Soldiers
Cases of PTSD as a result of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are astonishingly high- nearly 20% of troops who have been deployed are experiencing symptoms. Causes of the high rate vary, from multiple deployments to heavy use of the national guard. Perhaps another explanation is the new type of warfare taking place in Iraq, where the enemy is not uniformed, obvious, or known to be in a specific place. This could definitely change the mindset of soldiers, perpetuating the problem. The biggest problem, though, is that many are too afraid or macho to ask for help.
Dennis Gallagher
