Soldiers returning home are suffering not only from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but also from traumatic brain injuries. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. The leading causes of TBIs are falls and car crashes, though this is a growing concern for our nation’s troops who have been in active combat.

Thousands of troops have been diagnosed with TBI. Signs and symptoms can be subtle and sometimes don’t appear for days or weeks after the injury, so many troops are never diagnosed, and simply sent back to the battlefield

Dr. Alisa Gean, a neurosurgeon at the University of California, San Francisco:

"It's the so-called invisible injury. It's where a troop takes 10 times the normal time to pack his rucksack ... a complicated injury to the most complicated part of the body."

Read more about two soldiers, Eric O'Brien and Bryan Malone, who suffer from TBIs.

Search Healia for more on TBI and PTSD.