Mind Your Mental Health 

Approximately eight million Americans at any given time suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD Awareness Month seeks to raise public awareness about issues related to PTSD, reduce the stigma associated with PTSD and help those suffering with this condition obtain needed treatment.

• Traumatic events that can cause PTSD include physical or sexual assaults, war-related combat stress, serious accidents, terrorism, natural or man-made disasters and other threats on a person’s life.
• Symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks or disturbing thoughts about the experience(s), avoidance of traumatic memories, anger, irritability, depression and being easily startled or frightened.
• Helpful treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy with a mental health professional, medications such as antidepressants, family therapy to help loved ones understand a family member’s PTSD and peer support from fellow trauma survivors.
• There are resources readily available to help diagnose and effectively treat PTSD. There should be no shame in seeking assistance.

June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month. Throughout the month, we will be highlighting the importance of speaking openly about mental health. Seventy percent of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives, with up to 20% of these go on to develop PTSD.

With your help, we can bring awareness to the prevalence of PTSD and other mental health conditions in our communities. It’s our job to help end the stigma surrounding addictions and mental health by sharing resources and starting conversations. Throughout the month of June, we encourage family, friends, and loved ones to learn more about PTSD mental health. Here are some important facts you should know:

Here are some important facts you should know:

• 8% of Americans−24.4 million people−have PTSD at any given time.
• 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 6 of every 10 men (or 60%) and 5 of every 10 women (or 50%) experience at least one trauma in their lives.
• An estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults had any anxiety disorder in the past year.
• Past year prevalence of PTSD among adults was higher for females (5.2%) than for males (1.8%).
• Among U.S. Army infantry soldiers returning from Iraq, 43.9% of those who reported a TBI with loss of consciousness also reported symptoms of PTSD.