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THEY are the wounds that cannot be seen – but they can be just as devastating and often harder to treat.

And the problem of British troops mentally scarred by their experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq is getting dramatically worse.

A Mirror investigation has found a significant increase in the number of our service personnel being treated for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

Between 2007 and 2010, the total with mental health problems soared from 2,289 to 2,510 – a 9.7% increase. And those diagnosed with severe PTSD leaped from 122 in 2007 to 185 in 2010 – a 51% rise.

The shocking statistics cover all ranks, from top brass to privates. The Army currently has around 100,000 troops – with 9,500 of them serving in Afghanistan.

Figures obtained under freedom of information laws reveal that 9,064 soldiers and officers had some type of mental disorder between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2010.

They included those suffering anxiety and mood swings – as well as 509 confirmed cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.

(Image: Daily Mirror)

Some 2,510 troops were diagnosed with mental problems in 2010, the most recent figures available. A total of 185 of these cases were later identified as PTSD.

Frontline soldiers suffer most. In 2010, 1,157 privates were diagnosed with mental illness, with around 10% of the cases found to be PTSD.

Psychotherapist and retired Army Colonel Tony Gauvain is an expert in the treatment of military PTSD. He said: “A generation has been blighted. This is a ticking time bomb.

“The tightness of the PTSD definition allows the MoD to minimise its liability, but its highly significant that they do refer to mental health disorders.

“PTSD is actually an umbrella term which covers numerous things such as depression, anxiety, self medication and other symptoms.

“This is the tip of the iceberg. We are dealing with people who served in the Falklands 30 years ago and there would have been soldiers from World War One who were still having nightmares years down the line.”

In 1982 during the two-month Falkland conflict, 255 British troops were killed.

But that figure has been eclipsed by the number who have since committed suicide – currently around 300, according to the South Atlantic Medal Association.

Col Gauvain, chair of charity PTSD Resolution, said: “It is a massive problem that is likely to get worse. Sometimes the traumatic memory of combat can lay dormant, like a coiled spring, and it just takes a small event to push someone over the edge.”

Former SAS commander Colonel Clive Fairweather said: “All wars produce mental as well as physical casualties.

"There is still a lot of stigma surrounding mental illness, but the earlier people come forward, the easier it can be to treat.”

Charities including Combat Stress and Help for Heroes, who deal with personnel from the Falklands, 1991 Gulf War, Northern Ireland, the Balkans and Sierra Leone, are being approached by an increasing number of veterans seeking help.

Last year Combat Stress received 1443 referrals – 10% up on 2010.

An MoD spokesman said the rise was triggered by soldiers being more willing to come forward to discuss their problems. He added: “The mental well-being of service personnel is a priority.”

Mums grieving for their sons after suicide make demand for greater help

Two military mums united in grief after their sons committed suicide have said more must be done to help troops readjust to civilian life.

June Black, 54, and Nicola Howat, 40, have become close friends after their boys hanged themselves within weeks of each other after their tours ended.

Private Aaron Black and Private James Lindsay, both 22, served with 3 Scots, the Black Watch, during one of the most mentally demanding deployments in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province of recent years.

Pte Black, of Blairgowrie, Perthshire, was found hanged on December 17 after laying out a photo of himself in his uniform beside his two medals and a picture of an ex-girlfriend.

Mum June said: “I just got a text from him saying ‘Goodbye XXX’. There is support there for the soldiers but they have to go looking for it.

"When he came back from Afghanistan, he could be quite jumpy. It was horrible. You can’t imagine what he saw and went through.”

She added: “There should be a follow-up process for young service leavers from the Army.

“It may have made a difference if a charity or group had checked with him after a month and perhaps at regular intervals to see if he was coping.”

Five weeks after Aaron’s death, Pte Lindsay – who served in the Army for nearly four years – took his life in similar circumstances.

Mum Nicola, from Lincluden, Dumfries, said: “He didn’t talk much about what went on there.

“He did once tell me about having to put body parts into wee bags after a soldier was blown up.

“I could hear him screaming at night. Sometimes he seemed all right but then he’d just fly off the handle.”

Nicola added: “It was definitely his experiences that caused him to take his life.

“More should be done to help soldiers adjust. It’s sickening.

"He was going to counselling but he just had something in his head that he struggled with.”