King of Zembla: Porn for Monsters

From New Scientist: IN INTERNET chat rooms, veterans ask if anyone else is having a similar experience. "I had an incident where a small Iraqi boy had his leg blown off. His screams haunt my thoughts. Is what I am experiencing normal?" asks IraqCowboy. "They gave me sleeping pills, but it doesn't stop the nightmares," says Chucky. "The doctor says my husband has PTSD," posts Sam. "Does that count as a combat-related illness?"

What is now known as PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, was called shell shock back in the days of the first world war. Sufferers have harrowing flashbacks, and alternate between emotional numbness and outbursts of rage, guilt and depression. Previously well-adjusted soldiers suffer impaired memory and attention, insomnia and anxiety, and are more likely to take drugs and alcohol later in life. That much is well recognised.

What is less well known is that PTSD can trigger physical as well as psychological ill health. And as the US agonises over how long its soldiers should stay in Iraq, New Scientist has pieced together evidence showing that veterans will be paying the price of combat for decades to come. Recent and soon-to-be published research reveals that soldiers who fought in theatres as diverse as Vietnam and Lebanon are not only more likely to die from an accident on their return, but are also twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even cancer later in life. And these problems are particularly likely to afflict troops who experience the close-quarters fighting taking place in Iraq . . . .