THE number of British soldiers leaving the army with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has reached its highest level in five years, new figures have revealed.

Last year, 139 soldiers left the army with PTSD, accounting for 11 per cent of all medical discharges.

The figures appear in a report published by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last week.

It says: “The proportion of medical discharges for mental and behavioural disorders has increased year on year.

“This may in part be a result of an increase in awareness of mental health due to success of anti-stigma campaigns,” the department claims.

According to the NHS, PTSD is “caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.”

A PTSD sufferer “often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks,” which can have a “significant impact” on their daily life.

The army says it recognises the “severity of PTSD and how it impacts upon personnel’s career” and noted that a rising number of soldiers are using its “specialist mental health services.”

The MoD also pointed out that the proportion of soldiers discharged with mental disorders from Canada’s armed forces, at 41 per cent, is far higher than in Britain.

Physical injuries accounted for the overall majority of dismissals on medical grounds from the British army, with 30 troops discharged last year due to hearing loss alone.

In total, 181 soldiers, sailors, marines and air force personnel were discharged from the British military due to PTSD last year.

MARINES

Although mental health among Royal Marines has been a source of significant controversy in recent years, the commandos had one of the lowest levels of discharges for mental and behavioural disorders.

Concerns about the unit’s state of mind peaked in 2017 when marine Sergeant Alexander Blackman had a murder conviction quashed.

Sgt Blackman had killed a Taliban prisoner in Afghanistan in 2011, saying on camera: “Shuffle off this mortal coil, you cunt. … I’ve just broken the Geneva convention.”

Appeal court judges later found that he was suffering from diminished responsibility at the time of the incident due to an “adjustment disorder.”

The figures show that this condition is rare, with less than five marines discharged because of it since 2014.