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The recent killing of Afghan civilians by an American soldier who undoubtedly had post traumatic stress disease–as well as the shooting of a black kid by a patrol officer here in the US–points out the need to identify soldiers and police who are vulnerable to PTSD BEFORE they are hired–but is this possible? It may be: scientists have identified specific genetic risks that make people more vulnerable to this condition.

Neuroscientist Joseph Boscarino says, "We found that individuals with these ‘at-risk’ genetic variants were more likely to develop PTSD, especially those that had higher exposure to traumatic events. Those without these four genetic variants appeared to be highly resilient to PTSD, regardless of trauma exposure history."
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Noncombatant military personnel do not engage in direct combat with the enemy during war, but they still face trauma that elevates their risk for developing combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Noncombatants’ trauma exposure may actually put them at GREATER risk of developing PTSD than their counterparts on the front lines. While they are less likely to engage in direct contact with the enemy, they are still exposed to potentially traumatic events including mortar and rocket attacks, transporting and treating severely wounded soldiers, and processing human remains.
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No matter how the election turns out, it’s good to remember what we’ve been told so often: that whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger (but there was no scientific evidence to support for this idea–until now). A new national multi-year longitudinal study of the effects of adverse life events on mental health has found that these experiences do, in fact, appear to foster subsequent adaptability and resilience, with resulting advantages for mental health and well being.

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