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Iraqis are creating an identity from the world of mental turmoil
By Justin Pirzadeh
Posted: April 16, 2007
As we entered into the fifth year of the Iraq War it is impossible to repudiate the long-term effects of this
war on the Iraqi citizens. No longer can we define the war as an ephemeral stage of violence,
necessary to the creation of a democratic Iraq.
and this presents some haunting implications. The violence that the Iraqi citizens are encountering is
driving them from their homes and exposing them to extreme traumatic experiences.
driving them from their homes and exposing them to extreme traumatic experiences.
Faced with an environment of violence, many Iraqi citizens are falling victim not to stray bullets and
suicide bombers, but to a variety of psychologically induced illnesses that have become silent killers in
the war. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), caused by exposure to traumatic life experiences,
has proved to be a crippling mental illness that an increasing number of Iraqis have to deal with. In war-
time, most cost estimates and casualty counts tend to ignore the effects on psychologically damaged
soldiers and citizens, yet the probability and cost of psychological damage remains greater than those
incurred due to physical trauma.
The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder estimates that one of every 20 World War II
veterans suffered symptoms such as bad dreams, irritability and flashbacks related to PTSDs. In 1986-
1988, a study by the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Survey found that 15.2 percent of all
male Vietnam veterans (479,000 out of 3,140,000) and 8.1 percent of female veterans (610 out of
7,200) were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Finally, according to a recent VA study of 168,528 Iraqi veterans, 20 percent were diagnosed with
psychological disorders, including 1,641 with PTSDs. While these numbers are staggeringly high for
vets and offer some insight to the degree of damage that PTSDs can cause, the damage incurred by
the Iraqi citizens remains much higher, with much greater costs.
As a nation that now must invent a new national identity, the impact of PTSDs and other mental
illnesses will continue to emerge in the form of continual suicide bombings and the surfacing of
numerous militant groups.
The symptoms of PTSD can help explain why these results are inextricable tied to the illness. The
Mayo Foundation cites some symptoms of PTSD that include: hopelessness about the future, feeling
emotionally numb, self-destructive behavior, and irritability or anger. In Iraq, feelings of hopelessness,
numbness, and anger coupled with religious manipulation results in suicide bombings and increased
violence because there are very few treatment facilities or emotional outlets for patients with PTSDs.
Dr Majid al-Yassiri, chairman of the London-based Centre for Psychosocial Services in Iraq, says that
part of the problem is due to the fact that “Iraq's largest psychological hospital - which had more than
1,500 beds - was destroyed in the war." No new efforts are being made to reach out to patients of
mental illness, as many of the new hospitals being built have encountered innumerable delays and
the majority of government funding has gone into military projects.
Dr Yassiri also stated that, "Children in particular are showing behavioral problems and depression at
a higher rate than one would expect in a population this size - three times as high."
Both the youth and adults alike who are facing these issues are being driven to join radical regimes
due to the sense of isolation felt by these individuals. The country is suffering greatly from this loss of
human capital, and it is preventing the nation from reaching a level of hegemony that will contribute to
the building of a national identity.
### ### ###
Justin Pirzadeh is a Global Affairs Intern, The Atlantic Affairs.
By Justin Pirzadeh
Posted: April 16, 2007
As we entered into the fifth year of the Iraq War it is impossible to repudiate the long-term effects of this
war on the Iraqi citizens. No longer can we define the war as an ephemeral stage of violence,
necessary to the creation of a democratic Iraq.
and this presents some haunting implications. The violence that the Iraqi citizens are encountering is
driving them from their homes and exposing them to extreme traumatic experiences.
driving them from their homes and exposing them to extreme traumatic experiences.
Faced with an environment of violence, many Iraqi citizens are falling victim not to stray bullets and
suicide bombers, but to a variety of psychologically induced illnesses that have become silent killers in
the war. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), caused by exposure to traumatic life experiences,
has proved to be a crippling mental illness that an increasing number of Iraqis have to deal with. In war-
time, most cost estimates and casualty counts tend to ignore the effects on psychologically damaged
soldiers and citizens, yet the probability and cost of psychological damage remains greater than those
incurred due to physical trauma.
The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder estimates that one of every 20 World War II
veterans suffered symptoms such as bad dreams, irritability and flashbacks related to PTSDs. In 1986-
1988, a study by the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Survey found that 15.2 percent of all
male Vietnam veterans (479,000 out of 3,140,000) and 8.1 percent of female veterans (610 out of
7,200) were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Finally, according to a recent VA study of 168,528 Iraqi veterans, 20 percent were diagnosed with
psychological disorders, including 1,641 with PTSDs. While these numbers are staggeringly high for
vets and offer some insight to the degree of damage that PTSDs can cause, the damage incurred by
the Iraqi citizens remains much higher, with much greater costs.
As a nation that now must invent a new national identity, the impact of PTSDs and other mental
illnesses will continue to emerge in the form of continual suicide bombings and the surfacing of
numerous militant groups.
The symptoms of PTSD can help explain why these results are inextricable tied to the illness. The
Mayo Foundation cites some symptoms of PTSD that include: hopelessness about the future, feeling
emotionally numb, self-destructive behavior, and irritability or anger. In Iraq, feelings of hopelessness,
numbness, and anger coupled with religious manipulation results in suicide bombings and increased
violence because there are very few treatment facilities or emotional outlets for patients with PTSDs.
Dr Majid al-Yassiri, chairman of the London-based Centre for Psychosocial Services in Iraq, says that
part of the problem is due to the fact that “Iraq's largest psychological hospital - which had more than
1,500 beds - was destroyed in the war." No new efforts are being made to reach out to patients of
mental illness, as many of the new hospitals being built have encountered innumerable delays and
the majority of government funding has gone into military projects.
Dr Yassiri also stated that, "Children in particular are showing behavioral problems and depression at
a higher rate than one would expect in a population this size - three times as high."
Both the youth and adults alike who are facing these issues are being driven to join radical regimes
due to the sense of isolation felt by these individuals. The country is suffering greatly from this loss of
human capital, and it is preventing the nation from reaching a level of hegemony that will contribute to
the building of a national identity.
### ### ###
Justin Pirzadeh is a Global Affairs Intern, The Atlantic Affairs.
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