PTSD Statistics

If you have PTSD you should know immediately: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Whether you’re looking for information on general PTSD stats, combat, or teens and childrenwe’ve compiled some statistical facts to show you the immensity of the PTSD crowd.

According to Sidran Institute the economic burden of PTSD is large.Interesting numbers include:

The annual cost to society of anxiety disorders is estimated to be significantly over $42.3 billion, often due to misdiagnosis and undertreatment. This includes psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medical treatment costs, indirect workplace costs, mortality costs, and prescription drug costs.

More than half of these costs are attributed to repeat use of healthcare services to relieve anxiety-related symptoms that mimic those of other physical conditions.

People with PTSD have among the highest rates of healthcare service use. People with PTSD present with a range of symptoms, the cause of which may be overlooked or undiagnosed as having resulted from past trauma.

Nonpsychiatric direct medical costs, e.g., doctor and hospital visits, is $23 billion a year-the largest component of the societal costs are anxiety disorders, including PTSD.

General PTSD Stats

  • 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives. That’s 223.4 million people.
  • Up to 20% of these people go on to develop PTSD. As of today, that’s 31.3 million people who did or are struggling with PTSD.
  • An estimated 5% of Americans – that’s 11.2 million people – have PTSD at any given time.
  • An estimated 1 out of 10 women develops PTSD; women are about twice as likely as men.
  • Among people who are victims of a severe traumatic experience 60 – 80% will develop PTSD.
  • Almost 50% of all outpatient mental health patients have PTSD.
  • Somewhat higher rates of this disorder have been found to occur in African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans compared to Caucasians in the United States.

Combat

  • Lifetime occurrence (prevalence) in combat veterans 10 – 30%.
  • In the past year alone the number of diagnosed cases in the military jumped 50% – and that’s just diagnosed cases.
  • Studies estimate that 1 in every 5 military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has PTSD.
  • 20% of the soldiers who’ve been deployed in the past 6 years have PTSD. That’s over 300,000.
  • 17% of combat troops are women; 71% of female military personnel develop PTSD due to sexual assault within the ranks.

Doing the breakdown by war:

  • Afghanistan = 6 – 11% returning vets have PTSD
  • Iraq = 12 – 20% returning vets have PTSD

Teens and Children

  • 15-43% of girls and 14-43% of boys will experience a traumatic event
  • 3-15% girlsand 1-6% of boys will develop PTSD
  • As many as 30 – 60% of children who have survived specific disasters have PTSD
  • According to theNational Center for PTSD: “Rates of PTSD are much higher in children and adolescents recruited from at-risk samples. The rates of PTSD in these at-risk children and adolescents vary from 3 to 100%.”
  • 3 -6% of high school students in the U.S. who survive specific disaster develop PTSD
  • More than 33% of youths exposed to community violence with experience PTSD
  • According the the NationalCenter for PTSD: “Studies have shown that as many as 100% of children who witness a parental homicide or sexual assault develop PTSD. Similarly, 90% of sexually abused children, 77% of children exposed to a school shooting, and 35% of urban youth exposed to community violence develop PTSD.”

(Photo: Ahasoft)

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