PTSD Walk for Awareness
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Did you know that 6% of the American population suffer from PTSD? That means that 3 in every 50 people or about 12 million American adults suffer from PTSD in any given year. This June we are honoring all of our past and present heroes who have suffered from PTSD.
Facts about PTSD
Someone with PTSD can suffer symptoms like re-living trauma through flashbacks or nightmares, avoid situations that remind them of their trauma, easily rattled by loud noises and stressful events, develop paranoia, become moody, and have cognitive issues.
Females are more vulnerable
Overall, 9.7% of women suffer from PTSD, compared to the 3.6% in men. If we look at it in terms of civilians and veterans, 8% of female civilians and 13.4% of female veterans have been diagnosed, while 4.1% of male civilians and 7.7% of male veterans have PTSD.
11-23% of veterans are affected
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the percentage of veterans with PTSD varies depending on the service area. Currently, 15% of Vietnam veterans suffer and 12% of Golf War Veterans have been affected from PTSD. It is estimated that 209,000 to 380,00 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom will develop PTSD.
30% of first-responders suffer
First-responders are the most susceptible to mental illness because more than 80% go through a traumatic experience while on the job. About 10-15% have been diagnosed with PTSD while 400,000 have reported symptoms. Paramedics have the highest percentage among emergency personnel at 15%, with police officers being the lowest at 5%.
Interested in learning more about PTSD?
Check out CFAH's page on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Statistics
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How do Service Dogs Help?
Service dogs can be trained for a variety of tasks. PTSD service dogs is a type of psychiatric service dog that specifically trained to perform tasks to alleviate PTSD symptoms. Here are 6 ways they could help someone:
1
Reduces depression and thoughts of suicide
2
Disrupts anxiety behaviors
3
Interrupt night terrors
4
Perform safety checks and other alerts
5
Help with dissociation
6
Retrieve medicine