While PTS symptoms increased the most during the first six months after the service members returned home, they tended to subside after a year. However, researchers were most surprised by the prominence of PTS and severity of symptoms five years after the veterans’ return.

One possible explanation they offered for PTS re-emerging after a long time was that many service members rely on the support of a military group in the early stages to cope with traumatic events. However, such bonding with former peers tends to decrease with time, leading to a delayed stress reaction.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 11 to 20 percent of Iraq veterans in the United States suffer PTS symptoms each year. These symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, nervousness, fear, guilt, depression and difficulty concentrating.

Lead study author Iris Eekhout of VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam said there is a lack of research into the long-term mental health effects that veterans experience. The findings suggest screening for PTS symptoms should continue for more than just a year after veterans return home. Doing so would ensure the condition does not go undiagnosed as new or recurrent cases could emerge.

Eekhout emphasized that it is crucial for veterans to have easy access to mental health care. “It is important to monitor their psychological health for a long time after deployment, because early detection of symptoms is essential to early treatment, which is related to positive outcome,” Eekhout said. The findings were published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry.

A study by Abt Associates and the Cohen Veterans Center at New York University Langone Medical Center followed about 2,400 Vietnam veterans from the 1980s to 2011. The National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study comprises one of the longest follow-up periods of a representative group of veterans to date. The researchers found that veterans with PTS were at a greater risk of dying from cancer or external causes such as suicide, murder, traffic accidents and other injuries than those without the disorder.

“This study gives us vital insights into the potential long-term health and mental health effects of warzone service on America’s uniformed services personnel,” said Abt researcher Dr. Nida Corry, one of the study’s lead authors. According to the findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the study “offers really valuable empirical information that can help us better understand how to care for our Vietnam veterans.”

The researchers were unable to determine why PTS and warzone stress increased the risk of death. Vietnam veterans, now most in their 60s and older, make up the majority of living veterans today. Examining the long-term health effects of their combat experiences would help improve the treatment and support available to them. It would also enhance prevention efforts for future generations of service members.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800