According to the article, 40,000 cases of PTSD have been diagnosed isnce 2003 and the number of cases jumped by 50% in 2007. The Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker attributes this frightening increase to a number of factors:

- the fact that the Army recently introduced an electronic recording system to help keep an accurate count. This might indicate that the 50% increase is artifically high BUT ALSO could mean that the overall numbers are higher since reporting and accrate records were harder to keep previously;

- increased exposure of troops to combat;

- more troops serving their second, third and even fourth tours of duty, factor that experts say DRAMATICALLY increases the risks of PTSD;

As always, we want all our servicemen and servicewomen AND THEIR FAMILIES to be on the lookout for the signs of PTSD.