(Health.com) -- Up to 31 percent of soldiers returning from
combat in Iraq experience depression or post-traumatic stress
disorder that affects their jobs, relationships, or home life,
according to a new study by Army researchers. For as many as 14
percent of these veterans, depression and PTSD cause severe
problems in their daily life. These problems are often
accompanied by alcohol misuse and aggressive behavior, the study
found. "These things begin to snowball," says Robert Bossarte,
Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of
Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York. "Your work
performance suffers; you experience job loss and economic
strain." In extreme cases, the resulting relationship problems
and stress can lead to suicide, adds Bossarte, who was not
involved in the new study. The researchers analyzed mental
health surveys from more than 13,000 Army and National Guard
infantrymen who fought in Iraq. The soldiers completed the
surveys between 2004 and 2007, three and 12 mon