Topics & Disorders

Articles by subject matter experts on deployment spectrum issues and related disorders can be found below:

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Depression
Depression is one of the world’s top public health problems, and it affects approximately 7% to 12% of men and 20% to 25% of women across their lifetime. While depression may not be commonly associated with traumatic experiences such as combat, rates of depression in our servicemen and women are not insignificant. Hoge et al., (2004) found rates between 14% and 15% in soldiers and Marines 3 to 4 months after deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Meaning-making, PTSD, and Combat Experiences
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric consequence of trauma exposure (Kessler et al., 2005). It is an array of psychological and physiological reactions, some of which first occur in the midst of the experience (e.g., feeling terrified, helpless, “cranked-up” and hyper-vigilant, or emotionally numb), and are expected, normal responses to life threat.
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) has been labeled the “signature injury” of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has thrust the identification and treatment of mTBIs to the vanguard of concerns for the military healthcare community. However, the epidemiology of combat-related mTBI remains poorly understood despite the potential deleterious effects for service member and service alike.
Military Families and Deployment
When a Service Member leaves a family behind, both soldier and family are likely to feel an impact. Understanding the dynamic and what exacerbates or mitigates its influence provides a crucial background to treating all parties, from Service Members to spouses to children.
Sexual Assault in the Military
Sexual victimization is a problem in both civilian and military populations. In the general US population lifetime prevalence of sexual assault is 17% and 3% for women and men, respectively. The rate of sexual victimization among male military members is roughly the same as general population. For women in the military, however, prevalence of sexual victimization rises to up to 33%, with a sizable minority of military women bringing a history of sexual victimization with them when they join the military.
Suicide in the Military
Suicide in the military is a very serious problem. Historically the suicide rates have been lower in the military than those rates found in the general population. However, with the continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, military suicide rates have been increasing and surpassing the rates for society at large.