JEDDAH: A doctor here has called for a study into the psychological effect of the war in Jizan on Saudi soldiers. This comes in the wake of a number of soldiers seeking counseling after the recent battle on the border with Yemen. Dr. Ahmad Al-Nashiri, the director of the Psychiatric Care Center of the Armed Forces, said here Tuesday that these studies will help to provide better mental health care programs in future. He was speaking on the fourth day of the Second International Congress of the Pan-Arab Regional Group of Military Medicine. “A study based on the theory of the late Hans Eysenck – the British psychologist originally from Germany - reveals the relationship between some disorders and some personality patterns. There is an urgent need to study mental disorders associated with military operations in Jizan. This will be a starting point for broader and comprehensive psychological studies to provide care for all categories of the military community in Saudi Arabia.” In a lecture, Capt. Dr. Yasser Kitab Al-Otaibi, head of the organizing committee, said that comprehensive physical and psychological rehabilitation is needed for some soldiers. “Some studies in 2001 and 2003 in Belgium, China, Japan, France and the United States, showed that the most widespread psychological diseases are clinical depression, tension and post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Al-Otaibi. In other studies in the United States, it was shown that the rate of psychological illnesses among active soldiers was between 25 percent and 32 percent. Soldiers who took part in military operations in Iraq recorded the highest rate of psychological problems. Saudi soldiers located at the Saudi-Yemeni border near Jizan during the battles with some Yemeni dissidents have also encountered such psychological problems. The participation of these soldiers in military operations has seen an increased number of visits to psychological clinics.” He said there was a “dire need” to consider all the negative and harmful effects of war. He said there was a need to set up a specialized and independent medical field known as Military Psychiatry. The congress kicked off Saturday and will end Thursday. Topics under discussion include military health protection, medical support in a combat environment, humanitarian missions and field administrative activities and medico-military logistics. A total of 127 speakers from the medical and military sectors, from 21 Arab and Western nations, have been taking part.
