Effects of PTSD in Combat Deployed vs. Non-Combat Deployed Military Cohorts

Effects of PTSD in Combat Deployed vs. Non-Combat Deployed Military Cohorts This literature review examines the effect of PTSD among veterans in different military cohorts. The effects of PTSD among veterans of past wars and current wars will be discussed. I expected to find (1) that veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD have a harder time adjusting to civilian life after war, (2) that different evidence based treatments are effective in aiding veterans with different coping mechanisms, (3) that the stigma associated with mental health symptoms results in a large number of veterans not receiving treatment and (4) that veterans who were deployed in a combat zone are at a higher risk of PTSD when compared to veterans who were deployed in a non-combat zone. The results indicate that military cohorts that were combat deployed have significantly higher rates of PTSD. Veterans who showed symptoms at baseline also presented persistent self-reported symptoms of PTSD. Killing in a combat zone is also a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms. Which war a veteran served in was also significantly associated with developing PTSD. Exposure to combat was higher in Iraq veterans when compared to Afghanistan veterans, which led to higher rates of PTSD for veterans returning home from Iraq. Vietnam veterans also had higher rates of PTSD symptoms, which led to less care in daily activities and experiencing more of the “blues.” One barrier to receiving appropriate treatment is the stigma attached to receiving mental health services for PTSD for veterans. Another barrier is the low rate of veterans seeking treatment post deployment. One potential solution to this could be expanding the treatments into active combat zones. Implications for practice include addressing the stigma and the barriers of seeking mental health services, working on the changes in the models of healthcare delivery, and expanding screening for PTSD to include other disorders such as major depression. Questions that are raised for further research include examining other treatment options that may eventually gather empirical evidence and determining how to reduce the stigma attached to receiving mental health services