Injury severity linked with PTSD
U.S. scientists say the severity of injuries suffered by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan can predict posttraumatic stress disorder and depression risks.
Dr. Thomas Grieger and colleagues at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research conducted the study -- the first to focus on seriously wounded U.S. soldiers.
They found the soldiers' personal rating of their own physical problems, in contrast to objective measures of injury severity by medical personnel, were more significantly associated with development of posttraumatic stress disorder.
The researchers found the development of PTSD or depression seven months after a soldier was seriously injured was associated with the severity of the physical problem one month after the actual injury.
The research appears in the October issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
