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Female Veterans May Show Connection Between PTSD And MST

In an unsurprising report, there has been a connection shown between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and military sexual trauma (MST) among female veterans. A recent article in The University of California at San Francisco News reported 31% of all female veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan who were positively diagnosed with PTSD experienced some form of MST during their deployment. With male soldiers that number drops to 1% of all PTSD sufferers.

The information was reported by a psychologist working at the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. It is more likely for both male and female soldiers with PTSD who also accounted instances of MST to suffer from other mental health conditions. For males, that condition is usually substance abuse. For females, those conditions usually include eating disorders and depression.

Researchers found those female veterans who experienced MST developed PTSD at a rate 4 times higher than those female veterans who do not report MST. Their research was developed from veterans' health records, so there was no ability to establish a definitive "cause-and-effect relationship between MST and PTSD." Nevertheless, the number of female veterans reporting MST has risen.

Existing VA protocols for treating PTSD may also be of benefit when applied to treating victims of sexual trauma. The health records studied were from 213,803 veterans using VA health care for the first time, so the growing problem is becoming more apparent.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan&Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.