Palo Alto , California ( CNN ) -- It was n't until five months after Army Staff Sgt . June Moss returned from the Iraq war in 2003 that her real battle began . The horrors of the war -- witnessing decapitated and burned bodies amid mass destruction -- led to post-traumatic stress disorder . `` I do notice when I 'm stressing out that I start having dreams about what I saw and how I felt , '' says Moss , now 40 and retired from the Army . `` It does come back as if to haunt you . '' The percentage of women in the military has doubled in the last 30 years , with more than 350,000 serving as of 2009 , according to the Department of Veterans Affairs ' latest figures . With more female troops in combat , there has been an increase in PTSD diagnoses : One in five female veterans suffer from PTSD , according to the VA. As a light-vehicle mechanic , Moss drove across Baghdad and provided security at checkpoints during her combat tour in Iraq . When she returned home , she became overly protective of her two children , fearing that someone was going to kidnap or harm them . At the same time , she hunkered down inside her home , staying in bed , because she says it was too hard to face the most mundane tasks such as shopping . `` It was crazy . I could n't even do crowds . It reminded me when we were in a marketplace ( in Iraq ) , and we did n't know if somebody was out there to kill us , '' Moss explains . `` I 'm back home , and I did n't have to worry about a suicide bomber , but I still felt as if there was one lurking in the mall or the grocery store . '' Six years ago , she cut her wrists to end the pain . Today , Moss has progressed significantly after specialized therapy provided by the local Veterans Affairs in Palo Alto , California , where the focus is on female vets like herself . `` Women tend to be diagnosed more often , at least with our recent returnees , with depression , whereas men are being diagnosed more often with substance abuse , '' says Natara Garovoy , program director of the Women 's Prevention , Outreach & Education Center at VA Palo Alto Health Care System . Garovoy says recent studies show the percentage of women veterans suffering from PTSD is on par with the percentage of men : 20 % . `` Women are exposed to combat now more than ever before , and they 're proving to be just as resilient to those exposures as men , '' she said . There is no cure for PTSD , only treatment . `` It takes a lot to live with PTSD , '' Moss says . `` I hate to compare it with being an alcoholic , because I 'm not one , but that 's the best description I can give . You 're always one incident from spiraling out of control back to where you were -- being depressed , not coming out of the house , not being able to sleep , having night terrors , night sweats , all those kinds of things . '' Moss attributes an angry outburst in her workplace last year to PTSD , after she says she had become complacent with her treatment . Moss physically struck a fellow employee with whom she was romantically involved . `` I just went off . It went from verbal to physical . And , thank God , I did n't lose my job over it . But I did get in trouble , '' says Moss , who was suspended for three days without pay . `` Those feelings came out of nowhere . '' Moss says she realized that even years later , she needed to actively engage in her weekly therapy . She also turned to her boss , the chaplain at the Palo Alto VA , to focus on her spirituality . `` I 'm constantly working on how I 'm thinking , '' Moss says of her regimen today , which includes morning meditation , listening to gospel music and exercising . Her new mantra : `` Staying positive and keeping negativity out of my life ! '' Moss has lost 40 pounds in the last two years and is pursuing a degree in human resource management at San Francisco 's Golden Gate University . Moss beams with pride when she discusses recent steps in her therapy made within the last six months . She went on a trip by herself to Philadelphia while her teenage children went away to camp . She says technology , like video chat , helped her make such a stride . Moss also took her daughter to a concert in October , braving a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd . `` It 's a big deal to know that from then to now , I 've come a long way , '' Moss says with a smile . `` From head to toe , I 'm a better me . '' CNN 's Linda Hall contributed to this report .
Staff Sgt . June Moss was diagnosed with depression after serving in the Iraq war . As more women enter service , more female vets are suffering from depression . Treatment continues , but Moss worries about slipping back into depression . However , Moss has gotten over her fear of crowds .