Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The need for effective interventions to address the mental health needs of veterans has never been greater. Approximately 40 percent of the more than 300,000 veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have a possible mental health diagnosis.

Estimates of the rate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among returning veterans range from 12 percent to 20 percent. The suicide rate of Army troops is at the highest level since 1980. And there is increasing concern about rates of military sexual trauma and inequity of services provided to female veterans. The demand for services reaches beyond veterans to their families and the impact is felt throughout society.

HHD works with investigators at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on a series of initiatives aimed at outreach to veterans and their families, understanding their needs for mental health services and disseminating evidence-based therapy for PTSD.