Military members who experience harmful exposures like traumatic brain injury (TBI) during service could be more prone to mental health problems, chronic diseases and mortality, according to an investigation co-authored by Jeffrey Howard, associate professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
- Howard said there were significantly higher mortality rates in post-9/11 veterans who had experienced traumatic brain injury compared to the general population, mostly from accidental death and suicide.
- He said the rates were even higher in those with moderate to severe TBI and that veterans without TBI still had higher fatality rates from accidents and suicides than the general population.
- Howard said post-9/11 veterans have fared worse than veterans of previous wars.
