Anyone can experience PTSD – let our experts help answer questions about PTSD Awareness Month

June is PTSD Awareness Month. It’s not just an affliction that affects soldiers and first responders – it can also impact anyone who may have been in an accident, experienced abuse or witnessed a tragedy.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after you have been through a trauma. A trauma is a shocking and dangerous event that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others' lives are in danger.”

According to Veteran’s Affairs:

• About 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
• About 8 million adults have PTSD during a given year. This is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma.
• About 10 of every 100 women (or 10%) develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about 4 of every 100 men (or 4%).

There is nothing new about PTSD, other than its terminology. In World War 1, it was labeled “shell shock” and many perceived it as a sign of weakness as opposed to an injury. Since then it has been called “combat fatigue” and in the 1970s, “post-Vietnam syndrome.”

But what about now? With so many veterans returning from overseas and the public now being more informed of those who may have been afflicted domestically, questions include:

• Is acceptance of PTSD improving?
• Does the stigma still stick with those looking to return to their careers?
• Are there new and innovative ways to treat PTSD and how do they work?

As we round out PTSD awareness month, let our experts help with your stories.

Dr. Nagy Youssef is an associate professor of psychiatry at Augusta University and is a leading expert in PTSD and suicide prevention who treats civilians, active duty military and veterans. His research focuses on mechanistic and therapeutic innovation for treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders and suicide prevention.

Dr. Youssef is also in the early stages of forming a study to better detect genetic markers associated with PTSD and resilience to trauma. Participation in this study is voluntary. Learn how to participate in “Epigenomics Association Study of PTSD and Resilience” at https://www.augusta.edu/research/studies/list.php.