Veterans with PTSD and mental-health problems less healthy

A study by researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Centre in San Francisco looked into the links between mental-health problems and unhealthy lifestyles among servicemen and women involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study included over 300,000 veterans; 88% of them were male and their average age was 31. Around a quarter of the sample had PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder); among those suffering from PTSD half had depression, more than a quarter suffered from anxiety and around a fifth drank too much. The veterans with PTSD were also twice as likely to smoke and were at increased risk of having high blood pressure and being obese. The veterans with mental-health problems other than PTSD were also more likely to have some or all of these health problems.

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http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5736SM20090804?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews