Post-traumatic stress disorder among soldiers returning from the battlefield is well-documented. But when drone pilots run missions from a world away, combat stress is just as serious.
HuffPost Lives Ahmed Shihab-Eldin spoke with several experts on the subject, discussing the likelihood of PTSD among drone pilots and how they are effected by the combat stress.
According to a recent survey of 900 drone crew members, 46 percent of active duty pilots reported high levels of stress.
Dr. Wayne Chappelle of the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine described the symptoms of PTSD during the segment, noting that there are very clear markers -- including hyper-vigilance, avoidance and re-experiencing -- that must be met in order for the disorder to be considered PTSD.
While drone pilots are not directly threatened during combat missions as soliders on the ground are, "that doesn't mean that they're immune to the other aspects of war," Col. Kent McDonald of the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine said. "Killing in and of itself is difficult for any warrior to go through."
HuffPost's Andrea Stone, Fred Gusman of the Pathway Home, Levi Newman of the Veterans United Network and New School Professor Peter Asaro also appeared on the segment.
Check it out for yourself in the clip above.