Concussion Raises PTSD Risk for Iraq Vets

(Page 2)

After adjustments, PTSD and depression appeared to be the primary problem. This makes a certain amount of sense as concussion often occurs in the context of a traumatic event involving psychological stress, pointed out an accompanying commentary.

"This has implications for treatment, because obviously there's a big difference in how we treat someone if they're labeled as brain-injured versus identifying that they, in fact, have PTSD," Hoge said.

It's also critical that soldiers be properly evaluated in the combat theater at the time of injury, Hoge added.

The findings should help raise awareness for a generally underappreciated condition, Hovda said. "There's no face for that injury, so it really is a silent epidemic," he said. "And these military individuals are extremely dedicated and want to get back to service so they [may be playing down their injuries]."

A second study in the same issue of the journal confirmed that violence has been a major cause of death for Iraqis, and the main cause of death for Iraqi men aged 15 to 59 during the first three years following the 2003 invasion.

This is lower than previous estimates, said the authors, from Children's Hospital Boston, but still constitutes a huge death toll.

More information

Visit the government's National Center for PTSD for more on this condition.