Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after experiencing a traumatic event. During this type of event, the person feels like her/his life or others' lives are in danger as well as loss of control over what is happening. Anyone who has experienced a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. These events can include:
Combat exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents, and natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake. Exposure to a traumatic experience does not always result in PTSD.

Experts think PTSD occurs:

In about 11-20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom)
In as many as 10% of Gulf War (Desert Storm) Veterans
In about 30% of Vietnam Veterans (US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD)

Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and cognitive injuries, their consequences and services to assist recovery

This report highlights the psychological toll of deployments involving prolonged exposure to combat-related stress over multiple rotations and how these types of deployments may be disproportionately high compared with the physical injuries of combat.

Supporting our Troops, Veterans and their Families: Lessons Learned and Future Opportunities for Philanthropy

This reports highlights the challenges faced by veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the prevalence of TBI, homelessness, PTSD, etc. It also offers lessons learned and suggestions for best practices in addressing the needs of this growing population.

Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury: Annual Report 2009

This 21-page report provides a description of the services offered by the Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health (PH) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and its accomplishments in the years 2007-2008. DCoE's research mission is to coordinate innovative, evidence-based PH and TBI investments across DoD and other government agencies to meet both immediate and long-term needs associated with prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and outreach for warriors and their families.

Special report: For U.S. veterans, the war after the wars

Since the war began in October 2001, there have been periodic reports about substance abuse, depression, domestic violence, suicide, homelessness and violent crime among traumatized veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq. High unemployment in a bad economy has merely compounded their troubles.

Military reckons with the mental wounds of war

This article tells the story of Staff Sgt. James Ownbey, a Marine who served in Iraq as an explosive ordinance disposal technician in 2007, and two other deployments who now suffers from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and numerous physical ailments.

Purple Hearts Elusive For Traumatic Brain Injuries

The U.S. Army honors soldiers wounded or killed in combat with the Purple Heart, a powerful symbol designed to recognize their sacrifice and service. Yet Army commanders have routinely denied Purple Hearts to soldiers who have sustained concussions in Iraq, despite regulations that make such wounds eligible for the medal, an investigation by NPR and ProPublica has found.

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