This dramatic increase in veterans suffering from PTSD is extremely alarming because of how dangerous PTSD can be. Often times, physical and mental health are seen as separate and mutually exclusive domains, when quite convincingly, studies show that the two have a more complex and involved relationship than that. Often times, poor mental health can lead to poor physical health. In relation to PTSD, numerous studies show that suffering veterans often experience not only mental issues such as depression, but that their physical health declines as well, being more prone to becoming physically ill with things such as cardiovascular disease. On average, people with mental illnesses such as PTSD have a shorter life expectancy than the general population
