Troop suicide toll 'growing'
Thursday, 15 Nov 2007 12:04
The minister for the Armed Forces confirmed 17 troops had killed themselves after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
New Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures have added to fears that the suicide rate among troops returning to civilian life could be rising.
Bob Ainsworth, minister for the Armed Forces, confirmed in a written parliamentary answer that 17 serving personnel had killed themselves after returning from conflict, with 15 suicides involving troops who had served in Iraq, one from Afghanistan and one who had served in both nations.
However, as no records of troops are kept once they leave the services, it is feared the total number of suicides could be significantly higher.
The figures disclosed by Mr Ainsworth are up to December 31st, 2006, at which point 171 troops had been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and therefore represent one suicide for every ten deaths on operations.
Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative MP who tabled the question yesterday, said the high suicide rate "suggests the horrors our troops are going through".
Veterans of service have complained that they can face a wait of up to 18 months before receiving treatment from an NHS psychiartrist.
Mr Ellwood, who served in the Royal Green Jackets, told the Telegraph: "We expect so much of military personnel and when we do put them in harm's way the least we could do is ensure they are looked after when they return to civilian life. There are serious questions to be asked here.
"It is no wonder why we are not able to recruit enough people when they see how we treat those who have served the country so well."
Government figures also do not include troops returning to civilian life, nor Territorial Army personnel - 14,000 of whom have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We take our servicemen and women's mental health very seriously and thankfully have seen a decline in the number of people committing suicide since 2004," an MoD spokesman said.
The MoD said it employed 13 psychiatrists, 99 mental health nurses and 50 psychiatric civilian staff with staff on hand in operational theatres.