Many Vets Don’t Receive Treatment for PTSD

U.S. veterans often don’t receive treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), researchers say. Although 50,000 veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars received a diagnosis of PTSD between 2002 and 2008, fewer than 10 percent of those completed the recommended treatment of 10 to 12 weekly sessions within four months. Over a year’s time, the number only grew to fewer than 30 percent. Some types of veterans are less likely to receive recommended care: males, veterans who are under the age of 25, those who live in rural areas and those who got their diagnoses at primary-care clinics and needed referrals to mental health programs, according to a report published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.

Submitted by: HealthDay News, 2/16/10