WWW.USVETERANSMAGAZINE.COM U.S. VETERANS MAGAZINE 69
T
he Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) is a nonprofit philanthropic organization that serves post-9/11 veterans, military families and active-duty service members through a nationwide system of mental health clinics. CVN revealed findings of its Americas Mental Health PTSD Pulse Survey, which looked at Americans general knowledge and understanding of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident or sexual assault. A lack of understanding feeds into the stigma associated with mental health challenges such as PTSD, which can deter people from seeking care, said Cohen Veterans Network President and CEO Dr. Anthony Hassan. As a means to address any misunderstandings that surround PTSD, we wanted to look at Americans perceptions of the disorder. What we found is that there are strong misconceptions on everything from symptoms to treatments. Sixty-seven percent of Americans believe most veterans experience PTSD, while 74 percent believe the majority of combat veterans experience PTSD.
FACT:
PTSD impacts 11-20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans, approximately 12 percent of Gulf War veterans and 15 percent of Vietnam veterans. Twenty-six percent of Americans believe most people with PTSD are violent/dangerous.
FACT:
People with PTSD are not dangerous. Although PTSD is associated with an increased risk of violence, most veterans and non-veterans with PTSD have never engaged in violence. Nearly 23 percent of Americans believe PTSD is not treatable.
FACT:
PTSD is treatable. Multiple treatment options have been proven effective for treating PTSD. These include Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), both research- supported, short-term effective therapies to address PTSD. PE helps you process traumatic events by gradual repeated exposure to trauma-related memories, emotions and situations. While CPT targets ways of thinking that might keep you stuck in your PTSD. Many people who engage in treatment recover fully from PTSD. Forty percent of Americans believe that PTSD occurs immediately after a traumatic event.
FACT:
PTSD symptoms often start within three months of the traumatic event but sometimes emerge years later. Seventy-eight percent of Americans believe flashbacks are the most common symptom of PTSD, while 69 percent believe if you experience PTSD, you will experience nightmares. Sixty percent believe most people who experience PTSD will experience hypervigilance.
FACT:
Although many people with PTSD experience flashbacks, nightmares and/or hypervigilance, PTSD can look different in different people. Other symptoms of PTSD include intrusive memories of the traumatic experience, avoiding thoughts of the trauma or things that might remind you of it, exaggerated negative beliefs about yourself, loss of interest in things you usually enjoy, irritability, difficulty concentrating and feeling detached or estranged from others. Fifty-nine percent of people believe that if you experience trauma, you will develop PTSD.
FACT:
Most people who experience a traumatic event do not develop PTSD. Approximately 50-60 percent of Americans experience at least one traumatic event during their lives, but only 7-8 percent ever experience PTSD. Forty percent of Americans dont know what PTSD stands for.
FACT:
PTSD stands for Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most people who go through a traumatic event experience some time of post-traumatic stress or difficult symptoms immediately afterward, which typically resolve over time. This experience of post-traumatic stress becomes a diagnosable disorder if the symptoms dont go away or continue to get worse and interfere with ones daily functioning for an extended period. Cohen Veterans Network was founded on the notion of removing barriers to care, said Hassan. The misconceptions that exist around PTSD are obstacles standing in the way of people receiving critical mental health care. We want to help educate the public on the facts to destigmatize PTSD and ultimately move more people who might need it towards treatment. The survey also captured a snapshot of the military- connected communitys perception of, and experience with, PTSD vs. those without a military affiliation, including: Military-connected Americans (38 percent) are two times more likely than those without a military affiliation (20 percent) to believe that most people with PTSD are violent/ dangerous. Military-connected Americans (35 percent) are nearly two times more likely than those without a military affiliation (18 percent) to think PTSD is not treatable. Twenty-nine percent of military family members reported receiving a diagnosis of PTSD by a mental health professional vs. 11 percent of those without a military affiliation, making military family members nearly three times more likely to receive a PTSD diagnosis. The military-connected communitys misperception of PTSD is troubling given the attention on PTSD within the military community as well as the impact PTSD can have on military families and military mission readiness. We have so much more to do to eradicate stigma and increase access to care. So, when those in need ask for help, we must be ready to help. We may only get one chance, said Hassan. For more survey findings, go to cohenveteransnetwork.org/ amhpulse.
Source: Cohen Veterans Network
Previous Page