PTSD in Veterans: How Military Service Affects Mental Health
“Many veterans struggle with memories of their experiences in the military.”
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can happen to anyone. However, this anxiety disorder has a significant effect on the veteran population in particular.
“Following military service, many veterans struggle with memories of their experiences in the military,” says Amanda M. Spray, PhD, psychologist at NYU Langone Health.
What Is PTSD?
“PTSD is a psychiatric condition that results following a traumatic event,” says Dr. Spray. “A traumatic event in psychiatry is defined as a situation in which one is confronted with real or threatened death, sexual violence, or other types of life-threatening situations.”
Often, this disorder happens to people who have lived through a life-threatening event themselves. However, it can also occur if you witness someone else experiencing a life-threatening event. It may even develop if you repeatedly come across details of a traumatic event.
Notably, not everyone who lives through a traumatic event develops PTSD. About 60 percent of U.S. men and 50 percent of women experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, yet about 8 percent actually develop PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
PTSD Among Veterans
Due to the traumatic experiences of combat, veterans have a very high risk of this disorder. “The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study from 1988 found that … 30 percent of Vietnam veterans had met criteria for PTSD at one point in their life,” says Collin Reiff, MD, psychiatrist at NYU Langone Health.
Similarly, between 2002 and 2012, the Department of Veterans Affairs collected data that found “29 percent of veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom met criteria for PTSD,” says Dr. Reiff.
Additionally, there is some variation in PTSD rates in veterans based on different factors. Those on the front lines (who actively participate in combat) are more likely to experience this disorder than those in higher ranks. Additionally, about 23 percent of women have reported sexual assault during their time in the military, according to the VA. This can increase their risk of developing the disorder.
Getting Help
“If an individual believes they may have PTSD, my recommendation would be that they go to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist for a professional evaluation,” says Dr. Reiff. “There are a lot of treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder that are evidence-based and effective.”
Amanda M. Spray, PhD, is a psychologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City and a clinical associate professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Collin ReiffCollin Reiff, MD, is an addiction psychiatrist at NYU Langone Health and a clinical assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
00:00:00.633 --> 00:00:02.166
(gentle piano music)
00:00:02.167 --> 00:00:05.732
Following military service, many veterans struggle
00:00:05.733 --> 00:00:09.966
with memories of their experiences in the military,
00:00:09.967 --> 00:00:13.066
of the traumatic events that they may have witnessed,
00:00:13.067 --> 00:00:16.166
the traumatic events that they may have been involved in.
00:00:16.167 --> 00:00:18.666
It can really interfere with their functioning.
00:00:18.667 --> 00:00:22.799
It can interfere with their relationships with others,
00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:25.432
and sometimes, develop into a condition
00:00:25.433 --> 00:00:27.766
known as post-traumatic stress disorder.
00:00:27.767 --> 00:00:32.000
(gentle piano music)
00:00:35.567 --> 00:00:37.899
PTSD is a psychiatric condition
00:00:37.900 --> 00:00:40.732
that results following a traumatic event,
00:00:40.733 --> 00:00:43.532
and so a traumatic event in psychiatry is defined
00:00:43.533 --> 00:00:47.366
as a situation in which one is confronted with real
00:00:47.367 --> 00:00:49.999
or threatened death, sexual violence,
00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.032
or other types of life-threatening situations,
00:00:53.033 --> 00:00:54.832
serious bodily harm, for example.
00:00:54.833 --> 00:00:57.199
And these situations can result either
00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:59.866
in one experiencing this themselves,
00:00:59.867 --> 00:01:02.999
witnessing someone else experiencing this situation,
00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:07.666
or being repeatedly exposed to details
of a traumatic event.
00:01:07.667 --> 00:01:11.266
The prevalence of PTSD in the veteran population
00:01:11.267 --> 00:01:12.866
has varied over time.
00:01:12.867 --> 00:01:16.066
The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study
00:01:16.067 --> 00:01:21.732
from 1988 found that 15% of Vietnam veterans
at that time
00:01:21.733 --> 00:01:24.332
met full criteria for PTSD,
00:01:24.333 --> 00:01:26.732
and 30% of Vietnam veterans had met criteria
00:01:26.733 --> 00:01:29.566
for PTSD at one point in their life.
00:01:29.567 --> 00:01:32.932
The follow-up study to that which occurred in 2015
00:01:32.933 --> 00:01:37.999
found that 4.5% of Vietnam veterans
00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.032
met current diagnostic criteria for PTSD,
00:01:41.033 --> 00:01:46.332
and 17% had met criteria for PTSD at some point
in their life.
00:01:46.333 --> 00:01:49.066
Now these numbers are a little different
than the data
00:01:49.067 --> 00:01:52.366
that was collected by the Department of Veterans Affairs
00:01:52.367 --> 00:01:54.832
between 2002 and 2012.
00:01:54.833 --> 00:01:59.799
What the VA found is that 29% of veterans who served
00:01:59.800 --> 00:02:03.732
in Operation Enduring Freedom
and Operation Iraqi Freedom
00:02:03.733 --> 00:02:06.532
met criteria for PTSD.
00:02:06.533 --> 00:02:09.766
If an individual believes they may have PTSD,
00:02:09.767 --> 00:02:11.799
my recommendation would be that they go to see
00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:16.899
a psychologist or a psychiatrist
for a professional evaluation
00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:18.999
because there are a lot of treatments
00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:21.166
for post-traumatic stress disorder
00:02:21.167 --> 00:02:23.832
that are evidence-based and effective.
00:02:23.833 --> 00:02:26.233
(gentle piano music)
- Contractual report of findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute, 1988. (Accessed on July 15, 2020)
- How common is PTSD in veterans? Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (Accessed on July 15, 2020)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (Accessed on July 15, 2020)