Do Iraqis suffer from PTSD? The “tour of duty” for the average Iraqi citizen is now over 5 years

[NNN0LHI]

http://merzenich.positscience.com/?p=101

The wider face of PTSD.
Jul 20th, 2007 by Dr. Michael Merzenich

PTSD in Iraq spreads well beyond the boundaries of our armed services. For example:

a) Several times as many Iraqi police and military personnel as Coalition personnel have died in the conflict. Proportionally larger numbers have been wounded. And they are out there, as are our own troops, on the front lines of violence and mayhem. PTSD must be a substantial problem in their ranks.

b) Blackwater (one of 9 or 10 major civilian contractors in Iraq) has recently reported that their rates of PTSD incidence approximately match those incurred by our troops.

c) PTSD has to be a major problem for Iraqi civilians. If its rates of incidence parallels that recorded in our soldiers, about 5 MILLION individuals are affected.

We’ve noted earlier that the probability of onset of PTSD is a function of the number of exposures an individual has to traumatic events. We’ve also noted that cognitive loss and depression increase the risk of PTSD onset. The “tour of duty” for the average Iraqi citizen is now a continuous 5 years. A large proportion of those citizens have lots of reasons to be depressed (half of families live on an income of less than $1/day; infrastructural and societal support is sub-standard; many families have broken up; more than 10% of the population have given up their homes and local communities to move as refugees across the border into Jordan or Syria; etc.).

[Bluerthanblue]

1. the sad question is does anyone really care?

No one can really question that the Iraqi people have experienced more trauma during this "war on terra" than most Americans could ever conceive of.

We went into their nation, destroyed their infrastructure, destabilized their 'government' (as bad as it was, it was functional) and terrorized their population. Now, everyone faults the Iraqi's for "not stepping up to their responsibilities" ????? WTF??-


Your post tells tome pretty grim facts about what the people of Iraq are facing- the damning reality (it seems to me is) most people in America just really don't care.

I'd love to be proven wrong.

peace~

[patrice]

3. My friends and I are still on our street corner and traffic is still reading our signs.

My most recent signs says on one side: What does Pro-Life mean?
And on the other side: 5,000,000 Million Iraqi Orphans because of You and Me.

I hold it until traffic at the stop lights reads one side and then I turn it around so they can read the other. This sign gets many honks. I am only one of about 15 of us doing this on a weekly basis and on special occasions, the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Mothers' Day etc., 400-500 people come in the evening, some with their own signs, and hold candles with us.

[Bluerthanblue]

5. you

are a bright light in a dark world- Thank you for caring.

peace~

[patrice]

7. Not just me. My friends too. And all of that honking and waving traffic.

It cheers me up every week to go down there to this nice park/busy street corners. I tell others that this is my church.

[uppityperson]

12. k&r for OP, question for you. nitpicking

are there really 5 million million iraqi orphans? As I said, nitpicking. But, also, do you know what the numbers are as I would like to know as that is a really good sign idea?

[indepat]

18. No one who has ever supported this bombardment, invasion, and occupation cares a diddly-shit

imo. :D

[Bluerthanblue]

2. K&R because

I do care-


peace~

[patrice]

4. The Iraqi People must have been driven Crazy by now and our poor sad Troops are in a position in

which the de-facto mission is to kill as many of the Crazies as possible.

[stillcool]

6. I can't imagine one day...

in the life of an Iraqi. Let alone 5 years.

[slipslidingaway]

8. A couple of years ago there was an article with a quote from an

Iraqi citizen...

"Today is better than tomorrow"


:cry:

[fed-up]

9. k/r nt

[huskerlaw]

10. No. The P stands for "post"

Unfortunately, the trauma that the Iraqi people are suffering is not "post", nor is it a "disorder". It's trauma. Current, continuing, and horrifying.

The better question is "will Iraqis suffer from PTSD once we're gone?" and the resounding answer would be YES.

[uppityperson]

13. CTSD. eom

[RedCappedBandit]

15. Exactly what i was going to say. nt

[malaise]

11. Tut Tut my son

They're not even human beings. Didn't Georgie say if they attempt to reject his democracy kill them? :sarcasm:

[IsItJustMe]

14. You may call it PTSD. I call it living in utter hell. Take your pick.

[RedCappedBandit]

16. The Iraqi people have my sympathy.

Blackwater? Not so much.

[truedelphi]

19. The Iraqi people have my sympathy too. Unfortunately

Blackwater may not get our sympathy, but they sure get a lot of our tax payer monies!

[babylonsister]

17. Rec'd with thanks for not forgetting the Iraqis. nt

[Mnemosyne]

20. knr for more exposure. n/t