[NuovoLaboratorio] uicidi fra i soldati usa in iraq

Lancio dell'Associated Press raccolto da CNN
che afferma che il tasso di suicidi in iraq =E8 superiore di un terzo a quell=
o
dei tempi di pace. Affermazione del capo dei medici del pentagono.
mi dispiace, non ho tempo per tradurre ora.
saluti.
giovanna caviglione


Army's Suicide Rate in Iraq Skyrocket (tasso di suicidi in iraq alle stelle=
)
By MATT KELLEY=20
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Army's suicide rate in Iraq has been about a third
higher than past rates for troops during peacetime, the Pentagon's top
doctor said Wednesday.
Also, the military still has about 2,500 troops waiting for medical care
after returning from overseas, said Dr. William Winkenwerder, the assistant
secretary of defense for health affairs. The Pentagon is preparing for even
more soldiers on ``medical extension'' after tens of thousands of troops ar=
e
rotated home from Iraq this spring, Winkenwerder said.
The issue of suicides so worried the military that the Army sent an
assessment team to Iraq late last year to see if anything more could be don=
e
to prevent troops from killing themselves. The Army also began offering mor=
e
counseling to returning troops after several soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C.,
killed their wives and themselves after returning home from the war.
Winkenwerder said the military has documented 21 suicides during 2003 among
troops involved in the Iraq war. Eighteen of those were Army soldiers,
Winkenwerder said.=20


That's a suicide rate for soldiers in Iraq of about 13.5 per 100,000,
Winkenwerder said. During recent peacetime years, that number for the Army
has hovered around 10.5 to 11 per 100,000, Winkenwerder said.


``We don't see any trend there that tells us that there's more we might be
doing,'' Winkenwerder told a breakfast meeting of Pentagon reporters.


The military has nine combat stress teams in Iraq to help treat troops'
mental health problems, and each division has a psychiatrist, psychologist
and social worker, Winkenwerder said. He said between 300 and 400 troops
have been medically evacuated from Iraq for mental health problems.


The military prefers to treat mental health problems such as depression by
keeping troops in their regular duties while they get counseling and
possibly medication, Winkenwerder said. Less than one percent of the troops
in Iraq are treated for mental issues during an average week, he said.


Winkenwerder said he had no specifics on the number of troops being treated
for battlefield stress, although the military is focused on treating that
problem.=20


``We believe they are being identified, they are being supported,''
Winkenwerder said.=20


The military also is working to solve the issue of soldiers awaiting medica=
l
care. Since November, about 1,900 of the 4,400 troops waiting for medical
care have been treated, Winkenwerder said.


But the military expects more problems when tens of thousands of troops are
rotated in and out of Iraq this spring, Winkenwerder said. Many of those
troops may have to wait at various bases for medical treatment such as
physical therapy for injuries, he said.


The Army is working to sign contracts with civilian medical providers and
bringing in more staff from the Navy, Air Force and Department of Veterans
Affairs to help, Winkenwerder said.



01/14/04 14:40=20


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