Although the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs concluded in 2004 that Gulf War Syndrome is a real medical illness (and not purely a psychological one), apparently a wide range of news media outlets earlier this week took the release of a new report as stating something new or different:

“Gulf War illness is real,” the report concludes. “Few veterans have recovered.” Their last report in 2004 also concluded that GWS is not psychological but caused by organophosphates.

What the new report did do is simply strength the association and evidence that implicates inflammatory chemicals in the brain called cytokines. Sadly, the new report (PDF) also concludes that many vets are not being properly treated for the Syndrome, and research into it has plummeted since 2001. Some vets are also being denied benefits related to their illness, according to the report.

Read the full article: Gulf war syndrome is real, says US report

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 19 Nov 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.