Study: PTSD signals longer-term health problems

Post by: Ann J. Curley

U. S. soldiers who experienced post-traumatic stress disorder  during combat in Iraq were more likely to experience longer-term health problems including depression, headaches, tinnitis, irritability and memory problems compared with soldiers who experienced only concussions without PTSD. The study concludes that screening for PTSD among troops is critical for identifying and treating long-term health problems. The findings are published in the JAMA Archives of General Psychiatry.

Since Operation Desert Storm launched 20  years ago, millions of U.S. troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Combat exposure often places troops at risk of suffering psychological trauma and injury when they are exposed to the blasts from improvised explosive devices, according to background information in the study, and traumatic brain injury has often been called the “signature injury” of the conflicts. The study says that most TBIs are mild – better known as concussions. The symptoms of concussion, or MTBI,  include loss of consciousness, loss of memory, dizziness, and headache.

Three High-Risk Populations Targeted for National Suicide Prevention Efforts

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention today added three new task forces to address suicide prevention efforts within high-risk populations:  American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN); youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT); and military service members and veterans.  This brings to six the number of task forces formed by the Action Alliance, the public-private partnership forged in September to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) (http://www.actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/). 

"I am heartened that we are focusing attention on communities hardest hit by suicide.  By shining a light on their struggles I am optimistic we can help them identify solutions and bring hope for a better tomorrow," said Gordon H. Smith, co-chair of the Action Alliance.  Smith, a former U.S. senator who championed passage of the 2004 Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act following the loss of his son to suicide, now serves as President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters.