On the one hand, this sounds like fairly self-explanatory science. So why the inclusion on this blog? Because of the (young) age of many active duty military, and even recent veterans -- news like this is relevant.
Young Adults With PTSD May Be More Likely to Attempt Suicide
"Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—but not exposure to traumatic events without the development of PTSD—may be associated with subsequent attempted suicide in young adults, according to a report in Archives of General Psychiatry.
Approximately 421,200 to 842,400 Americans aged 15 to 24 attempt suicide every year, according to background information in the article. Holly C. Wilcox, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore, and colleagues studied 1,698 young adults of a group of 2,311 who had been tracked since entering the first grade in Baltimore public schools. Fifteen years later, 90-minute interviews were conducted with the participants (average age of 21) to assess the occurrence of traumatic experiences, suicide attempts, and the development of PTSD.
Of the participants interviewed, 1,273 (81%) had been exposed to a traumatic event and 100 (6%, or 8% of those exposed to trauma) developed PTSD. Suicide had been attempted by 10% of those with PTSD, compared with 2% of those who were exposed to trauma but did not develop PTSD and 5% of those who had never been exposed to traumatic events.
“The mechanisms involved in the association between PTSD and suicide attempts are not known,” the authors wrote. “There could be a common pre-existing predisposition to PTSD and suicide attempts that was present before the trauma occurred. Studies of early trauma and suicidal behaviors have implicated depression and impulsivity as possible mediators or possible pre-existing susceptibility traits.”
— Source: American Medical Association
