Home   >   News   >   Korea   >   2,158 Korean soldiers received treatment for anxiety disorder over 3 years

2,158 Korean soldiers received treatment for anxiety disorder over 3 years

August 6, 2014
A South Korean marine aims his machine gun during the U.S.-South Korea joint landing exercises called Ssangyong as part of the Foal Eagle military exercises in Pohang, South Korea, Monday, March 31, 2014. South Korea says North Korea has announced plans to conduct live-fire drills near the rivals' disputed western sea boundary.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A South Korean marine aims his machine gun during the U.S.-South Korea joint landing exercises called Ssangyong as part of the Foal Eagle military exercises in Pohang, South Korea, Monday, (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

In Korea, 2,158 soldiers in the military received treatment for anxiety disorder over three years, a report said Wednesday.

Released by the Armed Forces Medical Command, the report said it had also seen an increase in military personnel diagnosed with panic disorder.

The report, which gathered data from 19 military hospitals between January 2011 to December 2013, said it diagnosed and provided 66,481 behavioral disorder treatments on 19,066 soldiers during that period.

The medical command’s report is the first in Korea to put the reality of anxiety disorders among military personnel under the spotlight.

New patients diagnosed with anxiety disorder numbered 2,255, with 8,532 total treatments. Of these patients, 1,913 received 7,870 total treatment sessions at a medical center specializing in the disorder.

Army personnel comprised the largest number of those diagnosed with anxiety disorder, with 1,547, followed by the navy with 203 and the air force with 127.