Research Highlights the High Economic Cost of PTSD
New research has found that the national economic burden of post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) exceeds the costs of other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Researchers estimate the cost of post-traumatic stress disorder for 2018 to be roughly $232 billion. They highlighted the need for more effective therapies, to increase awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder, and for the expansion of new strategies to decrease the economic and clinical burden of mental health disorders.
The researchers stated that the PTSD economic burden in America shown in the study was “astonishing” and highlighted the urgency for private and public stakeholders to work together to improve access to existing treatments, decrease stigma, discover novel and better treatments and expand recovery and rehabilitation programs. This study was led by Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s associate chief of staff for research, Dr. Lori Davis.
For their study, researchers used government publications, academic literature and insurance claims data to approximate the costs of post-traumatic stress disorder in military and civilian populations in America. The military cohort included veterans as well as active-duty military. The VA has been trying to understand the nature of PTSD, revealing that most veterans who fought in the Gulf War, Vietnam and the post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered from this particular mental health condition at some point in their lives.
Symptoms of PTSD include insomnia, changes in feelings and debilitating thoughts such as emotional numbing and guilt as well as avoidance of things that remind one of a traumatic event, re-experiencing of trauma through nightmares and flashbacks, and hyperarousal.
This research exposed the extent to which post-traumatic stress disorder impacted veterans as well as civilians, with the study finding that more than 80% of the total PTSD costs were accounted for by civilians. However, despite civilians making up more than twice the total PTSD costs, the yearly costs incurred for every civilian with PTSD was lower than the annual costs incurred for a member of the military.
The researchers also discovered that women made up almost 75% of the civilian population with post-traumatic stress disorder, which meant that they dis-proportionally contributed to the national costs. Separate studies have found that trauma-exposed women demonstrate higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in comparison to trauma-exposed men. Additionally, traumas such as domestic violence and sexual assault affect more women than men and represent crucial areas for treatment and prevention.
The study’s findings were published in the “Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.”
As various companies such as Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) focus on developing new lines of mental health treatments, patients can only hope that there is a breakthrough sooner rather than later.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SILO
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
New research has found that the national economic burden of post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) exceeds the costs of other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Researchers estimate the cost of post-traumatic stress disorder for 2018 to be roughly $232 billion. They highlighted the need for more effective therapies, to increase awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder, and for the expansion of new strategies to decrease the economic and clinical burden of mental health disorders.
The researchers stated that the PTSD economic burden in America shown in the study was “astonishing” and highlighted the urgency for private and public stakeholders to work together to improve access to existing treatments, decrease stigma, discover novel and better treatments and expand recovery and rehabilitation programs. This study was led by Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s associate chief of staff for research, Dr. Lori Davis.
For their study, researchers used government publications, academic literature and insurance claims data to approximate the costs of post-traumatic stress disorder in military and civilian populations in America. The military cohort included veterans as well as active-duty military. The VA has been trying to understand the nature of PTSD, revealing that most veterans who fought in the Gulf War, Vietnam and the post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered from this particular mental health condition at some point in their lives.
Symptoms of PTSD include insomnia, changes in feelings and debilitating thoughts such as emotional numbing and guilt as well as avoidance of things that remind one of a traumatic event, re-experiencing of trauma through nightmares and flashbacks, and hyperarousal.
This research exposed the extent to which post-traumatic stress disorder impacted veterans as well as civilians, with the study finding that more than 80% of the total PTSD costs were accounted for by civilians. However, despite civilians making up more than twice the total PTSD costs, the yearly costs incurred for every civilian with PTSD was lower than the annual costs incurred for a member of the military.
The researchers also discovered that women made up almost 75% of the civilian population with post-traumatic stress disorder, which meant that they dis-proportionally contributed to the national costs. Separate studies have found that trauma-exposed women demonstrate higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in comparison to trauma-exposed men. Additionally, traumas such as domestic violence and sexual assault affect more women than men and represent crucial areas for treatment and prevention.
The study’s findings were published in the “Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.”
As various companies such as Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) focus on developing new lines of mental health treatments, patients can only hope that there is a breakthrough sooner rather than later.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SILO
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
