Hospital Admissions Related to Mental Disorders in U.S. Army Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan

2009/10/01 by Barbara E. Wojcik, Barbara E. Wójcik, Fatema Z. Akhtar +1 · 49 citations
Medicine · Psychology · #Anxiety #Anxiety disorder #Environmental health #Incidence (geometry) #Injury prevention #Medical emergency #Medicine #Mental health #Migration, Health and Trauma #Mood #Mood disorders #Poison control #Poisson regression #Population #Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research #Prevalence of mental disorders #Psychiatry #Substance abuse #Suicide and Self-Harm Studies #Suicide prevention

paper · doi:10.7205/milmed-d-01-6108

published in Military Medicine 174(10), 1010-1018 (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 2009/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We conducted a retrospective study of 473,964 U.S. Army soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan through December 2004 using deployment and admission records. We categorized mental disorder diagnoses using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and identified attempted suicide/ self-inflicted injuries using ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes E950-E959. We estimated and evaluated relative risks (RR) using Poisson regression models. Analysis found 1,948 psychiatric hospitalizations of deployed soldiers. The most common mental problems were mood, adjustment, and anxiety disorders (including post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]). RR of mental disorders ranged from 1.6 to 3 for females and 2 to 6 for enlisted soldiers compared to their counterparts. Younger soldiers had 30-60% higher substance abuse disorders. Combat units in Iraq demonstrated higher risk of any mental disorder and anxiety problems compared to combat support units. Younger women had the highest incidence of attempted suicide/ self-inflicted injuries. Further mental disorders surveillance is recommended.

Citations

• U.S. Army Disease and Nonbattle Injury Model, Refined in Afghanistan and Iraq

Cited by

• Suicide Attempts in the US Army During the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 2004 to 2009. [europepmc]
• Nonfatal Suicidal Behaviors in U.S. Army Administrative Records, 2004-2009: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). [europepmc]
• Risk Factors, Methods, and Timing of Suicide Attempts Among US Army Soldiers. [europepmc]
• Combat exposure, emotional and physical role limitations, and substance use among male United States Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers. [europepmc]
• Nonfatal Suicidal Behaviors in the Administrative Records of Activated U.S. Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers, 2004-2009. [europepmc]
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Pregnancy Outcomes. [europepmc]

Related

• Treatment of Mental or Physical Health Problems in a Combat Zone: Comparisons of Postdeployment Mental Health and Early Separation From Service
• Postcombat outcomes among marines with preexisting mental diagnoses
• Suicide attempts and mental health diagnoses in combat‐injured service members: A retrospective cohort study
• Prospective Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effect of Deployment-Acquired Traumatic Brain Injury on Posttraumatic Stress and Related Disorders: Results From the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS)
• U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers’ Motivations for Joining the Military and Their Effects on Post-Deployment Mental Health