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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161946.php
Researchers working with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have found
that post-traumatic stress disorder, the current most common mental
disorder among veterans returning from service in the Middle East, is
associated with an increased risk for thoughts of suicide.
Results of the study indicated that veterans who screened positive for
PTSD were four times more likely to report suicide-related thoughts
relative to veterans without the disorder. The research, published in
the Journal of Traumatic Stress, establishes PTSD as a risk factor for
thoughts of suicide in Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. This holds
true, even after accounting for other psychiatric disorder diagnoses,
such as substance abuse and depression. Veterans who screened positive
for PTSD and two or more comorbid mental disorders were significantly
more likely to experience thoughts of suicide relative to veterans with
PTSD alone.
As many as forty-six percent of veterans in the study experienced
suicidal thoughts or behaviors in the month prior to seeking care, and
of those veterans, three percent reported an actual attempt within four
months prior to seeking the care. Suicide-related thoughts and behaviors
discovered in a returning veteran who has been diagnosed with PTSD,
especially in the presence of other mental disorders, may suggest an
increased risk for suicide. This study is published in the August 2009
issue of the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
Lead author Matthew Jakupcak, Ph.D. is a researcher at the Mental
Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) as part of the
VA Puget Sound Health Care System. He is also a Professor of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of
Medicine in Seattle, WA.
Source:
Bethany H. Carland-Adams
Wiley-Blackwell
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