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This page contains information and summaries of
published research that are intended for people with professional training in
mental health. We urge caution since
it may be difficult to know how to interpret the information without advanced
training in psychology or psychiatry.
We recommend that readers interested in information intended for
the general public check other areas of this web site (such as Info
for Adults or Info
for Children). They contain similar information, but in a more readable
form. Also, elsewhere we have provided links
to other websites that we feel may be helpful.
INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE
In
a given year, more than 10 million people (about 4% of the
U.S.
population)
experience PTSD symptoms
severe enough to disrupt their daily functioning.
 | PTSD
affects from 9-15% of the general population (lifetime) and close to
50% of women who have been raped (Foa & Rothbaum, 1998)
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| Lifetime
prevalence rates are twice as high for women as for men (Foa et al., 2000).
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Citing
the 1996 U.S. National Comorbidity Study, McFarlane (1997) notes that:
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most common causes of PTSD for women are rape and sexual molestation (48.4%
of rape survivors developed PTSD)
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| Sexual
assault leads to the highest rates of PTSD
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| The
most common causes of PTSD for men are combat and witnessing death or severe
injury (10.7% of men who witnessed serious death or injury developed PTSD)
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| 60.3%
of men and 50.3% of women have experienced other traumas sufficient to meet
Criterion A-1 of the diagnosis (see below for diagnostic criteria)
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| Motor
vehicle accidents result in the most adverse combination of frequency and
impact.
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Prevalence of
Lifetime Posttraumatic Stress in Psychiatric Inpatient Populations (McFarlane et
al, 2001):
| 61%
of psychiatric inpatients report experiencing at least one traumatic event
during their lives, and 28% meet criteria for PTSD.
A further 22% showed significant PTSD symptom features.
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| Exposure to trauma and having PTSD may create vulnerability to other
disorders and other disorders may increase the likelihood of being exposed
to traumatic experiences and having PTSD
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“Importantly, lifetime PTSD is associated with an increased risk
of having another psychiatric disorder.
The results show that patients with a lifetime history of PTSD
were 8 times more likely to have an anxiety disorder, and 10 times more
likely to have a psychotic disorder.”
PTSD may go unrecognized on inpatient units, although the patient
group in this study with PTSD were more disabled and had more
significant depression and anxiety.
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