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Trauma all round

Politicians are quick to send troops into battle.    The consequences are rarely considered.    Just think of George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard and their headlong rush into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan - and then, based on blatant lies!

Consider this....

"In the United States, America's commander in chief has paid tribute to his nation's veterans. Since 2001 official figures show more US soldiers have died from suicide than in combat - a horrific toll of 22 veterans commit suicide every day. A new documentary called 'Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1' highlights the attempt to save former soldiers from self-harm. "

See full report here.

And then there is this - "A Trail of Tears" on TomDispatch and "The military's hidden mental health crisis: spousal trauma" on AlJazeera America.

"Combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) takes a severe toll on spouses. A New England Journal of Medicine study that analyzed medical records of more than 250,000 spouses of U.S. active duty soldiers from 2003 to 2006 found that the multiple and prolonged deployments typical in Iraq and Afghanistan led to greater risk of "depressive, anxiety, sleep, and acute stress reaction and adjustment disorders" among spouses — among the anxious and depressive symptoms referred to by mental-health providers as secondary traumatic stress."

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