Desperate Danish soldiers attempt suicide after Afghanistan

[Cees Binkhorst]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Het is 'normaal' dat 15% van soldaten op dit soort missies psychische
problemen krijgen. Zowel tijdens de missie als daarna.

'the military has a system to help them' is in dit geval kennelijk niet
genoeg.

Groet / Groet

Desperate Danish soldiers attempt suicide after Afghanistan
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/05/12/desperate-danish-soldiers-attempt-suicide-after-afghanistan/
Posted on12 May 2010.

Nine Danish soldiers have tried to take their own lives in the last 12
months since returning home from Afghanistan.

The figures were revealed in a currently unpublished report by the
enlisted men’s union HKKF. The study shows that the alarming trend has
so far been seen exclusively with young veterans in their twenties.

“This is a surprisingly high number. The attempts have come within a
short period of time and it is very worrying that returning soldiers
feel so bad, given that the military has a system to help them,” said
HKKF consultant Yvonne Tonnesen. As an HKKF Lifeline operator, Tonnesen
regularly speaks to traumatised soldiers recently returned from war.

Of the nine attempted suicides reported in the study, four were
deliberate car crashes, two were failed overdoses of prescription drugs,
and two were failed hangings. Another man walked fully-clothed into
freezing cold water, only changing his mind on the brink of losing
consciousness. The one common thread in all cases was that the soldiers
kept their actions hidden from their families.

“The soldiers say that they have just had enough of the daily battle
simply to get out of bed. Some say they won’t try suicide again. Others
say ‘next time I’ll succeed’,” said Tonnesen, adding that few soldiers
come to terms with reality immediately after returning from war zones.

The Danish military offers both group therapy and individual counselling
to help the returning soldiers’ transition back into normal life,
reports the Politiken.

All personnel are posted a questionnaire by the military six months
after their homecoming to determine if they are suffering from any
psychological problems, although as many as 30 percent do not reply.
“These are precisely the ones that we need to have contact with,” said
Tonnesen.

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