What To Know About Soldiers And PTSD
According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 5% of adults in the U.S. are living with PTSD in any given year. Of those, many tend to be military veterans.
PTSD is a mental illness that can be triggered by traumatic or life-threatening situations. It is often a risk for soldiers, especially those who have seen combat. PTSD generally involves symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and trouble functioning in daily life. It’s usually treated with therapy, medication, social support, and self-care.
What is PTSD?
When you’re exposed to something extremely stressful or dangerous, it can lead to various reactions in your body and brain. You may go into “fight-or-flight” mode, a state where your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate spike, and your body releases a surge of adrenaline. You might feel extreme fear, stress, or anxiety.
These symptoms can be a natural response to stress, designed to protect you in dangerous situations. They may gradually disappear after the event is over, but sometimes they remain, leading to lasting physical and mental symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is a mental health disorder that can develop when you experience a traumatic event, such as the following:
- A life-threatening accident
- A natural disaster
- Violence
- A terrorist attack
- Physical or sexual abuse
- A serious illness
It can be possible to develop PTSD even when you don’t directly experience the trauma yourself. Witnessing someone else going through trauma or working with survivors of trauma can also lead to the development of PTSD. This is sometimes called “vicarious trauma” or “secondary traumatic stress,” although updated research may be needed.
Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD. For those who do, however, PTSD can involve a variety of distressing symptoms. These symptoms can look different for different people, but some common examples include those listed below:
- Panic attacks
- Ongoing feelings of anxiety or nervousness
- Trouble concentrating or remembering information
- Nightmares or flashbacks
- Avoidance of reminders of the trauma
- Mood swings
- Headaches, stomachaches, muscle pain, or dizziness
- Trouble functioning in daily lif
These symptoms often start within the first month after a traumatic event, but not always. Some people may not experience PTSD symptoms until months or even years later.
Soldiers and PTSD: What the research says
PTSD can be especially common among current and former military service members. Veterans tend to have higher rates of PTSD than civilians, especially veterans of specific military events. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), around two out of 100 World War II and Korean War veterans have had PTSD in the past year. For veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that number jumps to approximately 15 out of 100.
Given that PTSD is usually linked to traumatic events, it may be easy to understand why it’s a risk for veterans. Soldiers involved in active combat may be more likely to witness or experience violence, death, or serious injury. Still, those aren’t the only ways soldiers may develop PTSD.
Another possible cause could be military sexual trauma (MST): sexual assault and harassment of people in the armed forces. Military sexual trauma may affect both men and women. In a 2018 review, researchers analyzed 69 studies of military sexual abuse incidents. They found that overall MST rates typically ranged from 15.7% to 31.2%.
Other studies have looked at why some veterans develop PTSD and others don’t. In a 2015 analysis, researchers looked at data from 32 studies to learn more about the risk factors for PTSD in the military. Among other factors, they found that soldiers were usually more likely to develop PTSD if they:
- Were female
- Had discharged a weapon
- Were deployed for longer periods
- Had seen someone killed or wounded
- Had a history of mental illness
- Lacked proper support after their deployment
The VA reports that PTSD may be more likely in people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury.
In an analysis from 2023, which reviewed data from 50 studies on military PTSD, researchers found that people who had experienced childhood trauma tended to be more likely to develop PTSD during military service.
Recovering from PTSD as a veteran
Living with PTSD as a veteran can be distressing, both during service and after returning to civilian life. But treating PTSD—and recovering from it—may be possible. Successful PTSD treatment tends to involve a combination of approaches, including medication, therapy, and ongoing mental health support.
Medications for treating PTSD may provide relief from symptoms by changing the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. Some common PTSD medications include the following:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Mood stabilizers
- Anti-anxiety medications
These medications must be prescribed and monitored by a doctor or psychiatrist. Always consult your prescribing provider before starting, stopping, or changing the way you take medication.
Ongoing mental health support may also be helpful for people living with PTSD, especially veterans adjusting to life after deployment. Some examples include those listed below:
- Support groups for veterans with PTSD
- Community programs offering job training, housing placement, and other types of assistance
- Mental health education programs
- Self-care strategies like exercise, nutritious eating habits, mindfulness, and spending time with loved ones
Finally, therapy is often considered a key PTSD treatment strategy. Evidence-based therapies may combat stress, teach healthy coping skills, and minimize the effects of trauma on veterans’ daily lives. Below are several types of therapy that may help with PTSD:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which generally focuses on shifting negative thought patterns
- Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy, which usually focuses on gradually confronting the trauma
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which typically aims to help the brain process traumatic memories
- Cognitive processing therapy (CPT), which normally focuses on identifying and addressing the ways trauma has affected thoughts and beliefs
Accessing these types of therapy may not always be easy, even for veterans with mental health benefits. According to a 2018 evaluation of the VA’s mental health services, veterans often face long wait times and inadequate availability for PTSD treatment.
Those who seek care elsewhere may face challenges finding affordable therapy, especially in rural areas where insurance networks may lack providers. Online therapy may be an alternative, offering professional counseling starting at $65 per week and eliminating the need to commute to a therapist’s office in person.
Research has found that online therapy typically shows similar effectiveness as in-person therapy for treating PTSD. In 2022, 196 adults with PTSD received therapy either in-person or online. Researchers found that both treatment formats led to similar improvements.
Takeaway
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that can be triggered by traumatic events like abuse or life-threatening situations. Some people may also develop PTSD when they witness someone else’s trauma. This can lead to symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, nightmares, and trouble functioning. Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD. However, it tends to be more common in soldiers due to their exposure to combat, death, and other sources of trauma. While PTSD can be distressing for veterans, it can often be managed with treatments like medication and therapy, which can be attended online or in person.
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