Battlefield scars often carry over to bedroom, troops find

Battlefield scars often carry over to bedroom, troops find
Veterans Affairs looking into issues affecting intimacy for returning vets

By FEDERICA NARANCIO
Mcclatchy-tribune

WASHINGTON — Wounds and mental disabilities of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq can mess up their sex lives too, health experts said Wednesday. But those wounds often go untreated because the topic is taboo and has gone unstudied.

Whatever the reason, failed sexual intimacy can contribute to higher suicide and divorce rates among returning troops, specialists told a seminar sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on health issues.

They said the latest U.S. wars have brought more attention to psychological wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and depression, and should now include sexual problems.