A recent Science Daily report examined the findings of researchers working with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans that suggest post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increased risk for thoughts of suicide.

Those veterans who screened positive for PTSD were as much as four times more likely to report suicide-related thoughts compared to veterans without the disorder. The research establishes PTSD as a risk factor for thoughts of suicide in Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Researchers also determined this holds true even after accounting for other psychiatric disorder diagnoses, such as substance abuse and depression. Those veterans screening positive for PTSD and two or more co morbid mental disorders were significantly more likely to experience thoughts of suicide compared with veterans struggling with PTSD alone.

Of those veterans participating in the study, 46 percent experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviors in the month prior to seeking care. Of these 46 percent, three percent reported an actual attempt on their own life within four months prior to seeking care.

Researchers have determined that suicide-related thoughts and behaviors discovered in a returning veteran who has been diagnosed with PTSD, especially in the presence of other mental disorders, may suggest an increased risk for suicide. Such individuals should be kept under close medical care as they can present a risk to themselves.