Victims of sexual assault or domestic violence are also affected by PTSD, but their access to treatment is often limited.
Although our brains are wired to link post-traumatic stress disorder to combat veterans, many civilians are be affected by it too. Yet, a recent study found that non-military PTSD victims have little healing options.
A recent research paper, which was published in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, concluded that veterans’ therapy options for PTSD are more helpful and better managed than what is left available for non-military PTSD patients.
Judith Bentkover, lead author of the research and professor at Brown University School of Public Health, explained that people can get PTSD outside war zones. For instance, victims of rape, incest, domestic violence, and natural disasters can also be affected by PTSD.
But research in recent years was focused mainly on military PTSD victims, ignoring the bulk of PTSD patients in the civilian world.
Bentkover’s interest in PTSD dates back from the times she agreed to teach a course of mental health policy for U.S. veterans at the university. Back then, she realized that nonveterans have limited access to health care and treatment options.
She noted that the best treatment options were available for VA members. Nevertheless, children are affected by PTSD and so do women. But these groups, unfortunately, cannot address a VA in times of distress.
This may explain why many PTSD nonveterans often fail to find professional help. And since the condition doesn’t vanish without therapy, it later morphs into more complicated mental and physical conditions that trigger higher health care costs on the long run.
Bentkover also found that a nation’s economy is also affected when PTSD victims do not receive proper help. These people tend to be less productive at their workplace and their talent usually goes to waste as many of them engage in dependent behaviors such as alcoholism to cope with pain.
This is why federal and local governments have to pay a hefty price in expenditures in case of joblessness or homelessness. Additionally, untreated PTSD can lead to broken homes, so future generations have to pay the price.
“PTSD is not only a huge healthcare problem, it is a huge cost,”
Bentkover said.
The research team found that to little PTSD research and treatment resources are available for both civilians and their physicians. This is why, doctors often fail to recommend their patients the right treatment that would save them from years of emotional distress.
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