The recent spike in suicide rates amongst veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars could be linked to repeated concussions, says a new study from researchers at the University of Utah's National Center for Veterans Studies.
For the study, the researchers reviewed data on 161 subjects service personnel and private contractors that suffered concussions in Iraq in 2009. They found that those who reported having no previous concussions reported no suicidal thoughts. Three percent of those who suffered one concussion reported suicidal thoughts and twelve percent of those suffered three or more concussions had thought of suicide.
"All of a sudden the likelihood of being suicidal increased dramatically once you had the second head injury," said lead researcher Craig Bryan.
Another concern is that many soldiers may avoid treatment for concussions:
"They very much want to be returned to duty," Bryan said. "They feel guilty letting everybody else down while they are in a clinic."
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