British soldiers sent to Iraq have coped with the psychological stress of war far better than their US comrades, according to a new British study published yesterday.
The research, published in the medical journal The Lancet, showed that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affected up to 20 percent of US personnel returning from the war zone, compared with just 4 percent of British troops.
The researchers also found no evidence of "Iraq war syndrome," but said reservists suffered significantly more ill-health than regular professionals.
Professor Mathew Hotopf, from King's College London, led a team that questioned more than 10,000 British military personnel.
Extensive interviews were conducted with soldiers who served in the 2003 Iraq war or were deployed on subsequent tours of duty.
Their health conditions were compared with those of personnel who had not been to Iraq.
In response to the research, Britain's Ministry of Defense yesterday announced a new package of mental health support for the increasing number of reserve soldiers deployed in overseas operations.
Meanwhile, the US Army is warning soldiers and their families that a new film about an Iraq war medical unit may trigger mental health problems for some who see it.
Army brass have sent a cautionary warning to military medical personnel about the soon-to-be-aired Home Box Office documentary Baghdad ER, which gives a graphic view of the Iraq war through the eyes of trauma doctors and nurses, even filming during an amputation.
Despite many disturbing scenes, filmmaker Jon Alpert said the film had actually been toned down.
"Some of the real raw scenes were just a little bit too brutal. My first two days there, I witnessed four amputations," said Alpert.
A private screening was held in Washington on Monday, and the film will air on the HBO cable television network on Sunday.
Around the US, it will be shown at 22 US military installations, but military medical officers are concerned that it may spark adverse reactions among those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Army Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, sent out a memo last week warning the film may prompt flashbacks or nightmares among some veterans.
"It's gritty, it's graphic at times, and those who have a loved one deployed or may have lost a loved one might find certain scenes to be such that it might be something they would want to be careful about in viewing," said Army spokesman Paul Boyce.
Boyce said the memo was designed as a sort of "viewer discretion" warning, "particularly for those viewers for whom this may strike very close to home."
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese