CONTRACTORS WORKING IN WAR ZONES UNAWARE OF MENTAL HEALTH RISKS

May 19, 2009 08:01 ET
CONTRACTORS WORKING IN WAR ZONES UNAWARE OF MENTAL HEALTH RISKS
Market Wire (press release) - USA

Attention: Assignment Editor, Health/Medical Editor, Media Editor, News Editor, Photo Editor

TORONTO, ONTARIO, MEDIA ADVISORY--(Marketwire - May 19, 2009) - While there have been a number of studies examining the psychological health of soldiers returning home from war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, a new study is the first of its kind to take a closer look at the mental health of contractors working in war zones.

"Like soldiers, there is a significant number of contractors who suffer from post-traumatic stress when returning home from a war zone," says Dr. Anthony Feinstein, lead investigator of the study and a neuropsychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. "Our study shows that there is little in place to educate contractors on the psychological risks they may face in conflict zones and they are not receiving appropriate help when they return home."

After seven years into a war in Afghanistan and five years into a war in Iraq, this study is the first of its kind to present empirical data on this particular group of individuals working in a war zone.

It is estimated that up to 126,000 contractors are currently working in Iraq. Unofficial estimates put their death toll at a little over 1,000, with nearly 13,000 injured in the past six years. The average number of traumatic events faced by this group is double that reported by front-line journalists.
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