Is Breastfeeding Protective against PTSD?

I did a double take when I saw this tiny article about Breastfeeding and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Some investigators at Boston University studied a group of children whose average ages were 13. The 102 children were hospitalized at two different hospitals in Boston for traumatic injuries including burns, motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds and assaults. About half of all of the children had been breastfed as infants.

They tested the children for PTSD using the Child PTSD Reaction Index which is a PTSD assessment scale for children. The children who had been breastfed scored in the mild range for PTSD, whereas the children who had not been breastfed scored in the moderate range.

Currently we know that breastfeeding has a positive impact on mental health, but there isn’t much research data on the specifics of the benefits. This study gives us something specific, but we can’t consider these findings to be definite just yet given the small number of people in the study. Also a study like this would need to be replicated by others who get the same results. But, despite the shortcomings of these findings, it is positive result and could have tremendous implications in the role of breastfeeding on an individual’s future mental health.

Is Iraq War Causing Mental Illness?

A study lead by Dr. Karen H. Seal of University of California, San Francisco found that 25% of the 100,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as of November 2005 were diagnosed with a mental disorder. This study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2007:167 pp 476-82). The most common diagnosis was Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which accounted for more than half of the veterans.

Of the roughly 25,000 vets diagnosed with a mental disorder, 44% had one diagnosis, 29% had two and 27% had three or more. Younger veterans ages 18-24 were found to be at higher risk of being diagnosed with a mental disorder. It was suggested this group was at higher risk because they were likely to be of lower rank and have more combat exposure.

These are disturbing statistics. Unfortunately the publication of research is often way behind real time as you can see with this article that was published in March 2007 and includes veterans returning home as of November 2005. Who knows what that number has grown to today, 18 months later? It is especially concerning that there are thousands with three or more mental disorders.

It is not uncommon for someone to have more than one diagnosis, as some disorders can beget others. PTSD and depression would be a good example. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that alone does not produce depressive symptoms. But individuals can subsequently develop depression or have had pre-existing depression and thus end up with two separate diagnoses if they later develop an anxiety disorder such as PTSD.

The study concluded by emphasizing the need for early screening and intervention to prevent these veterans from developing chronic mental illnesses, especially the younger population of veterans.