Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Treatable Public Health Problem (Viewpoint‪)‬

Clinical social workers need to be aware of the growing problem of untreated and undertreated trauma in society. This is an especially important issue affecting our veteran population. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 6.8 percent of the general population (Kessler, Sonnega, & Bromet, 1995; Kulka et al., 1990). There are reports of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans returning with PTSD rates as high as 50 percent (Helmer et al., 2007). The emotional and financial costs of this diagnosis to society are staggering. Affected veterans can have difficulty functioning in both the home and the job environment, so they may receive disability payments for life. Those seeking help face additional expenses for mental health treatment and medications; others who self-medicate risk alcohol and drug abuse. There may be additional costs for treatment of family members living with someone affected by PTSD. Why is the rate of PTSD now so much higher than in previous conflicts? The higher rate may be due to several factors, including the following: