PTSD Facts and Figures

This Week: Veterans of PTSD | PTSD Facts and Figures | Coping With PTSD | Viewer Comments | Transcript

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after one experiences a traumatic event. The disorder is characterized by flashbacks of the event, nightmares, anxiety, avoidance, and social withdrawal. PTSD may take months or years to manifest.

Facts and Figures

The following factors increase the likelihood of PTSD: Youth, a history of depression or trauma, multiple deployments, and relentless exposure to violence.
30.9% of Vietnam veterans in one study had developed PTSD during their lifetimes.
Between 1999 and 2004, the number of veterans seeking benefits for PTSD increased 79%.
In Iraq, roughly one in six combatants has experienced PTSD.
35 percent of Iraq veterans sought psychological counseling within a year of coming home, according to the Department of Defense.

References:

Department of Veterans Affairs: National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, 1988.

Archives of Internal Medicine: Bringing the War Back Home, Karen H. Seal, MD, MPH; Daniel Bertenthal, MPH; Christian R. Miner, PhD; Saunak Sen, PhD; Charles Marmar, MD, March 2007.

Veterans Administration: Investigation by the Office of the Inspector General, 2005.

Department of Defense: The Psychological Needs of U.S. Military Service Members and Their Families: A Preliminary Report, February 2007.