SBS Dateline | Stressed Out

It’s estimated that a US war veteran dies every 80 minutes… not in combat, but by committing suicide.

Nick Lazaredes reports on the emotional scars left behind by service in Iraq and Afghanistan, as veterans return home from war unable to cope with what they’ve experienced.

In addition to being rocked by some 6,500 suicides each year, the veteran community is grappling with the trauma of returned servicemen killing their families and even complete strangers in violent attacks.

But who’s helping the veterans deal with what’s known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? No one, say the families, whose pleas for help have been all but ignored.

With more troops coming home for good in the next few years to both the US and Australia, it’s left many wondering where it will all end.

WATCH - Click to see Nick’s report.

INTERVIEW WITH NICK - Nick Lazaredes talks to SBS Radio's World News Australia, and explains more about the disturbing stories he heard from veterans' families.

BLOG - Nick first reported on PTSD in the United States for Dateline in 2007. He writes for the Dateline blog about how much, or little, has changed since then.

REPLAY: FORGOTTEN SOLDIERS - Watch Nick's 2007 story on the 'forgotten soldiers'.

EXTRA INFORMATION - Find out more about PTSD and the support and treatment available in the US and Australia.

Tweet