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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Military personnel returning from the Iraq War are struggling with more than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to a new study, many members of the Reserve and National Guard are turning to alcohol when they return home -- often to deal with PTSD itself.
Researchers at the Naval Health Research Center had participants fill out questionnaires before deployment overseas and after. They found an 8.8 percent rate of new-onset heavy weekly drinking; a 25.6 percent rate of new-onset binge drinking; and a 7.1 percent new-onset rate of alcohol-related problems among the personnel. In addition, they found women were more likely to begin heavy weekly drinking after deployment than men.
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Those with PTSD and depression showed an increased risk of new and continued problems with alcohol.
Study authors urge mental health experts to incorporate these findings into treatment.
Interventions should focus on at-risk groups, including Reserve/Guard personnel, younger individuals, and those with previous or existing mental health disorders, study authors wrote.
SOURCE: Journal of The American Medical Association, 2008;300:663-675
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