Women and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

The National Center for PTSD in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) trauma is common among women and that 5 in 10 women have had a traumatic experience.

Trauma associated with PTSD includes avoidance of interaction with people, feelings of re-experiencing the original trauma or flashbacks caused by triggers, being emotionally numb, timeframes of emotional and physical hyperarousal that can cause anxiety and or physical distress.

Women experience PTSD trauma differently than men. While men and women report the same post dramatic stress disorder symptoms there are some that occur more among women. Women actually are found to be slightly less likely to experience a traumatic event than men.

Early PTSD research was done on male veterans in the Vietnam war while PTSD research was done on women who had been sexually assaulted.

There are so few pictures of military women with PTSD online that a woman named Cissy White asked women who have PTSD to post pictures on social media.

Woman who have PTSD are filling social media platforms with selfies and pictures so that when someone searches “PTSD,” a woman will be seen.

Originally, doing a Google search for female images using the term “post-traumatic stress disorder” “PTSD” top results showed men in uniform. 

Searching on Google now using the hashtag #FacesOfPTSD produces many women of all ages and in all places who are living with and fighting PTSD.

It's important to face and deal with PTSD but for family members who deal with the fallout there is a challenge in getting care and treatment. 

If you or a loved one is a civilian contractor having trouble getting medical care and benefits after having worked for the Department of Defense and were injured on a military base or on the job, be sure to consult with an experienced Defense Base Act Attorney.