Iraq - the long-term toll of PTSD

Nearly 2 million U.S. troops have served in Iraq since 2001. Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School studied 953 National Guard soldiers who answered questions in Iraq a month before returning home and then again a year later. In the first survey 7.6% of the soldiers were thought to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whereas in the second survey 18.2% were. The troops who had had PTSD in the first survey were more likely to suffer from memory and balance problems, concentration difficulties and irritability a year later than those who had suffered concussion without PTSD.