Serious functional impairment attributed to either post-traumatic stress disorder or depression
A study that collected surveys from 18,305 U.S. soldiers, three and 12 months following deployment, demonstrated a high incidence of mental health problems from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study, collected from data compiled between 2004 and 2007, showed that between 8.5 per cent and 14 per cent of soldiers returning from Iraq report serious functional impairment due to either post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.”If soldiers who are struggling with serious functional impairment as the result of a previous deployment are deployed again, there is potential that this could impair their performance in combat,” write the authors. “This has implications for the safety of unit members and mission success.” The authors continued to say that the high incidence of alcohol misuse and aggression in tandem with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in returning soldiers “highlights the need for comprehensive post-deployment screening.”