OBJECTIVE Although studies have suggested a disproportionate rate of suicide among war veterans, particularly those with postservice psychiatric illness, there has been little systematic examination of the underlying reasons. This study aimed to identify factors predictive of suicide among Vietnam combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD Of 187 veterans referred to th...

Research studies have identified heightened psychiatric problems among veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). However, these studies have not compared incidence rates of psychiatric disorders across robust cohorts, nor have they documented psychiatric problems prior to combat exposure. The authors' objectives in this study were to determine incidence rat...

BACKGROUND The Afghan military theatre is specifically marked by guerilla operations and massive use of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) that pose new types of threats for their victims. At the same time, the relevant literature contains only a single, fragmentary analysis on injuries suffered by soldiers serving in the Afghan mission. MATERIAL/METHODS This is a review of medical reports o...

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in combat exposure, military sexual trauma (MST), and their associations with mental health screen results among military personnel deployed in support of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Data were collected as part of a pre- and post-deployment screening program at a large Army medical treatment facility. Cases included 7251 active d...

During Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF), there were 375 rotorcraft losses with 496 fatalities from October 2001 to September 2009. Mishaps accounted for 81 percent of all losses with combat losses (i.e., aircraft shootdowns) accounting for the remaining 19 percent; 73 percent of the fatalities occurred in a combat theater. The OEF/OIF combat hostile action loss r...

Research studies have identified heightened psychiatric problems among veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). However, these studies have not compared incidence rates of psychiatric disorders across robust cohorts, nor have they documented psychiatric problems prior to combat exposure. The authors’ objectives in this study were to determine incidence rat...

OBJECTIVE In light of increased suicidal behaviors among military personnel and veterans since the initiation of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, questions have been raised about the potential causal role of combat. The objective of the current study was to identify any direct or indirect effects of combat exposure on suicide risk through depression symptom severity, posttraumatic str...