CHICAGO, Jan 14: A recent study of World War Two veterans found those who suffered wartime head injuries were more likely to suffer from major depression even decades later, researchers said on Monday.

Among the 520 veterans interviewed in 1996-97 for the study who had suffered wartime head injuries that required a hospital stay, 18.5 per cent were found to have endured major depressions.

It is well established that within a year of a head injury, people are susceptible to depression. It is believed that brain lesions caused by head trauma can also increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia later in life.

“Our findings suggest that the effects of head trauma continue for decades after injury,” psychiatrist Tracey Holsinger said. “The cost of depression to individuals includes shortened life span and decreased quality of life. The cost to society includes increased burden of illness, adding to the already extensive cost of brain injuries,” she wrote.—Reuters