Effects of Iraq/Afghanistan Deployments on Major Depression and Substance Use Disorder: Analysis of Active Duty Personnel in the US Military

Using a large nation-wide sample consisting of Active Duty Service members across branches from 2001 to 2006, this study examined the associations between deployment characteristics (location and length) and diagnostic rates for major depression and substance use disorder. Findings suggest that Service members deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan were at increased risk for a diagnosis of a substance use disorder and/or major depression, compared to Service members who were not deployed.