Two studies published online by The Lancet show that British soldiers have coped with the psychological stress of war far better than their American counterparts.

However, the researchers, from King’s College London, observed a much higher level of postwar ill health among reservists than regular professionals. Full-time personnel suffering mental problems are treated by specialist military medical services, but reservists have been left to fend for themselves on the NHS.

Simon Wessely, who led one study, said that the NHS was “less switched on” to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Responding yesterday, the Ministry of Defence, which funded the research, announced mental health support for reserve soldiers on operations overseas. PTSD affected up to 20 per cent of US personnel back from the war zone, compared with 4 per cent of Britons.

Professor Mathew Hotopf’s team questioned more than 10,000 military personnel and found that there was only a slight increase in common symptoms of ill-health among troops sent to Iraq compared to similar personnel not deployed there.

Professor Wessely’s team looked at the physical and psychological health of 3,600 regular soldiers deployed in the 2003 Iraq war and 4,300 non-deployed colleagues. He said: “Is there an Iraq war syndrome? The answer is no, at least not yet.”

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