• About
  • Rent College Pads
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
Search
News
Opinions
Sports
Classifieds
Comics
BMA
Events
Subscribe

Donate

Eastern Echo

Sunday, January 24, 2021 Print Edition

Subscribe

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Comics
  • Profiles
  • Podcast
  • BMA
  • Events
  • Classifieds
  • Search
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Comics
  • Profiles
  • Podcast
  • BMA
  • Events
  • Classifieds
Search

Subscribe to the Echo

Donate to The Echo

You can support the Echo by donating through the EMU Foundation and selecting to apply your gift to a specific fund. Any of the funds listed below will provide support to the Echo.

01049 -- EMU Echo Editor Endowed Scholarship:  Provides financial support for the current EMU Echo Editor.

02414 -- Scott Stephenson Eastern Echo Scholarship:  This expendable scholarship is for the benefit of student(s) in the School of Communication, Media & Theater Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences.  It will be awarded to a full or part-time junior or senior EMU student majoring in journalism and working for the Eastern Echo.  The student should be working to self-finance their education and not be eligible for need-based grants.

00825 -- Student Media Development:  Provides support for the Student Media program.

Thank you for supporting the Echo and EMU Student Media.

Give Now


9/23/2012, 8:14pm

PTSD, substance abuse link

New study finds risk of early death for affected veterans

By Kenneth Bowen
PTSD, substance abuse link
ADRIN SNIDER and ADRIN SNIDER
KRT NEWS STORY SLUGGED: IRAQ-READINESS KRT PHOTOGRAPH BY ADRIN SNIDER/NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS (KRT107-February 24) Marines at the fire support coordination center watch the aftermath as bombs dropped from an AV-8B Harrier jet strike the ground on Vieques Island. The center coordinated mortar, artillery, air strikes and naval bombardment on the targets during recent Joint Task Force Exercises on Vieques Island, near Puerto Rico. (NN) PL (jak12034) 1998 (COLOR)

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Mail
  • Print

Results from a recent study conducted by the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Health System suggest young veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse are at a greater risk of an early death.

The study followed over 270,000 veterans with PTSD from 2005 to 2007 and focused on the number and causes of death.

Dr. Kipling Bohnert, the study’s lead author, said he is interested in the link between substance abuse and PTSD among returning veterans.

“Mortality is significantly increased among veterans younger than 45 who have PTSD and substance abuse issues,” Bohnert said.

“Getting treatment for the veterans suffering from both disorders is vitally important.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that there are roughly 22 million veterans alive today, and according to the study, nearly 20 percent of veterans that struggle with PTSD also have substance abuse issues. The correlation of these two disorders and non-injury related deaths were viewed as being most prevalent among veterans who fought in more recent wars.

Dr. Frederick Blow is the paper’s senior author and said the research conducted could be beneficial for physicians attempting to assist those struggling with multiple disorders.

“In theory, a treatment program that addresses both issues, substance use and PTSD, should reduce the risk of death from all causes, and this may be especially true for our youngest veterans,” Blow said.

The study also found the number of PTSD cases is growing among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, which doesn’t surprise some veterans attending Eastern Michigan University.

Chad Goethe, a sophomore at EMU, completed three combat deployments as an infantryman in the Army. During his time in Iraq and Afganistan, he witnessed more than a dozen roadside bomb attacks and survived four personally.

Goethe said the majority of the soldiers he deployed with claimed they suffered from PTSD.

“Some did not, due to the fact it would be seen as a weakness,” he said. “When we would get back from overseas heavy drinking was common for pretty much everyone. Work performance, marriages and many other aspects of daily life were complicated for many soldiers due to drinking and memories of combat.”

Although many veterans have completed their tour of duty overseas, it is increasingly apparent that vigilance must be kept for their well-being on the home front as well.

The study, “The Association Between Substance Use Disorders and Mortality Among a Cohort of Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Variation by Age Cohort and Mortality Type,” can be viewed in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Share



Related Stories

Yamiche Alcindor, White House Correspondent for PBS NewsHour spoke about troubling current events and how people can overcome them during the 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration (Screenshot from Eastern Michigan University's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration).

Yamiche Alcindor Speaks at the 2021 MLK Keynote Speaker Event

By Emma Henri

Eastern Michigan University College of Business. (Eastern Michigan University)

Eastern Michigan University students launch job search website to fill roles at small businesses in the Ypsilanti and the Downriver community

By Dan D'Introno

A screenshot from the “'We the People Speak: No Justice, No Peace' Presented by the EMU CloseUp Theatre Troupe” video found on EMU's YouTube channel.

CloseUp Theatre Troupe Performs “We the People Speak: No Justice, No Peace”

By Emma Henri


The Eastern Echo welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.


Most Popular


1/18/2021, 2:40pm

Ypsilanti house shooting occurs south of campus; no injuries reported

By Tyler Gaw

The Eastern Michigan Police sent out an email to all students and staff Sunday afternoon about a shooting that occurred just south of campus on the 200 block of Normal Street. No injuries have been reported.


1/17/2021, 8:54pm

Washtenaw County Prosecutor will no longer charge cases related to marijuana, shrooms, and various psychedelics


1/17/2021, 8:59pm

COVID-19 vaccine distribution concerns arise as new phase begins


1/20/2021, 1:08pm

Eastern Michigan University students launch job search website to fill roles at small businesses in the Ypsilanti and the Downriver community


Podcast


1/23/2021, 3:24pm

The Factory Report: Volleyball is back!


1/21/2021, 2:55pm

Podcast: January 20, 2020


1/17/2021, 9:00pm

The Road to the Mac Tournament For EMU Men’s and Women’s Basketball


1/14/2021, 7:11pm

Documentary features EMU student artists' experiences amidst COVID-19 pandemic


Tweets by TheEasternEcho
Eastern Michigan Echo To Homepage
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Freelance
  • Submissions
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Distribution

All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2021 The Eastern Echo

Powered by Solutions by The State News.