PTSD, Post war effects/violence

PTSD, Post war effects/violence

Introduction

Post-traumatic stress manifests itself in several different ways among the various career fields in the U.S. Military. This study investigated the mental health symptoms reported by the U.S. Military personnel based on their demographic and occupational risk factors. The study reviewed 20,000 Post Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) surveys completed between 2007 and 2008 by the returnees of Iraq and Afghanistan. The rate of PTSD was highest among the enlisted Army males, aged 23-30 years, serving in the Iraq war.

However, secondary non-combat exposures such as witnessing death or injury of other human beings, and experiencing circumstances where there is an imminent danger of being killed had a significant impact on the rate of PTSD and depression experienced by the subjects of this study. These findings suggest that individuals with specific deployment exposures have higher likelihood of developing PTSD independent of their combatant status, and therefore should be considered for enhanced PTSD screening in their respective career fields.

Body: Discussion and Analysis

The United States has been at war in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than eight years. The first invasion of the U.S. Military into Afghanistan took place in 2001, followed by the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Over the past five years we have seen a steep increase in the rate of casualties among the U.S. Military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Also increased are the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and worsening mental health symptoms found among U.S. Military personnel returning from wars in both countries. Multiple studies have shown that exposure to combat related stress, physical injury, fatigue, and lack of social support could considerably increase the risk for PTSD among U.S. Military personnel during and after their deployment. Traditionally, these risks have been observed among men and women who were engaged in direct combat.

However, due to the nature of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prevalence of PTSD and other mental health disorders is becoming much more apparent among U.S. Military personnel deployed in non-combat occupations as well. These risks have previously been observed in conflicts such as Somalia (1992 to 1994) where the U.S. Military played a non-traditional role of providing humanitarian relief within the country. This research explored the mental and physical health concerns reported by U.S. Military personnel following their deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The study compared the symptoms of PTSD and depression reported by men and women serving in combat and non-combat military roles, in order to determine a correlation between the occupational risk factors and post-deployment mental health status reported by both groups. The study also explored several demographic risk factors including age, gender, location of deployment, rank, and branch of service, while comparing the correlation between the rate of PTSD and depression and each variable. The demographic group that reported the highest rate ofPTSD was the enlisted Army males; aged 23 to 30 years, who are deployed in combat operations to Iraq. However, secondary non-combat exposures such as witnessing ...