
Afghanistan Veterans Struggling With Mental Health
A recent survey found 70% of Afghanistan veterans have struggled with their mental health since serving.
Approximately, 775,000 US Armed Services members served at least 1 deployment in Afghanistan; a new survey of 1250 of these
“Trauma can alter how people think about themselves, others, and the world,” said clinical counselor Danny Taylor, MA. “The current situation in Afghanistan is a painful reminder of the traumatic experiences service members may have had in Afghanistan. This can lead to ideas that nothing is safe, and no one can be trusted.”
According to the survey, 75% of Afghanistan
Additionally, a third of veterans with a history of mental illness have started seeing a mental health professional since the Taliban retook Afghanistan in mid-August.
Holly Schiff, PsyD, believes the decline in veteran mental health may be triggered by feelings of powerlessness or fear about the situation in Afghanistan: “Veterans are usually looking for meaning and how the conflict ends definitely holds some significance. These individuals made enormous sacrifices and the fall of Afghanistan had them reflect on if everything they did was worth it. This can lead to feelings of depression and anger.”
The fall of Afghanistan may also be triggering new or worsening thoughts of suicide in 64% of veterans coping with mental illness. Researchers reported 32% are experiencing new thoughts of
“I have absolutely seen an increase in patients who are veterans since the fall of Afghanistan,” Schiff said further. “This makes sense given the fact that this situation may trigger unresolved issues or past traumas that they now have to address and deal with all over again.”
“The fall of Afghanistan definitely triggered some mental health issues for Afghan vets, some of which will have potential long-term effects and consequences,” Schiff told Psychiatric TimesTM. “For those veterans already struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder, the fall of Afghanistan brought back up some unresolved issues for them, past traumas and some unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and experiences. They now have to address these and almost re-process them for a second time.”
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Reference
1. Following Taliban takeover, 9 in 10 Afghanistan vets have exacerbated mental health symptoms. Online Therapy. Accessed September 8, 2021.
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