1 December 2012, 21:51
They are wound up like springs, go long periods without proper sleep and nourishment, have to witness horrific sights and yet have to maintain fitness levels akin to Olympic athletes. When the high octane active service term comes to an end, the body can go into a kind of post traumatic shock that would threaten the integrity of most people's nervous systems. I can see why some of them end up as psychiatric patients. I've seen it with ex RUC here in NI too.