LAFAYETTE, L.a. (KLFY) – On July 7th, Micah Xavier Johnson gunned down police officers in Dallas, leaving five dead.

Sunday, Gavin Eugene Long shot six Baton Rouge officers, three were killed.

According to the VA Clinic, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects up to 20% of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Both Johnson and Eugene were military veterans.

“In order to do something like that I would say that they have some kind of emotional disturbance that they’re going through,” said Director of Clinical Services at Vermilion Behavioral Health Systems Katie Hebert, “I think that they could for sure benefit from mental health treatment.”

PTSD is common among veterans and if it goes untreated it can lead to irrational behavior.

“What we all fear is that their life keeps going and escalating in an unhealthy way or pattern,” said Hebert, “Their mental health just deescalates if they don’t get treatment.”

Although PTSD is one of the more common side effects of serving in the military, veterans could suffer from other mental health issues as well.

“Depression and anxiety in and of itself regardless of PTSD accompanying it is an issue,” said Hebert, “I’d also say addiction because all of those things sometimes lead us to coping in unhealthy ways.”

Herbert encourages veterans to seek out help if they are facing any of these issues.