Posted by Lieutenant Colonel Jay M. Stone
, Director, Psychological Health Clinical Standards of Care
on May 22, 2009
May is Mental Health Month, offering an opportunity to discuss the critical issue of alcohol misuse among service members who deploy. Alcohol misuse can affect a person and family’s psychological well being. Published studies of military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan show a direct link between stress related to combat and mental health challenges. For example, The Millennium Cohort Study found new onset self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 7.6 percent of cohort members who deployed and reported some level of exposure to combat (Smith et al., 2008). Data from civilian studies also indicate that PTSD, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and substance use disorders often occur simultaneously. Overall, individuals with PTSD face a four-fold increased risk for alcohol/drug abuse or dependence, according to a study published in 1998 by Chilcoat and Breslau. In a systematic review of prevalence and outcome research by Parry-Jones et al. (2006) post-TBI alcohol ...
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