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Veterans’ Mental Health Issues Vary By Gender

November 3, 2010 - That an alarming amount of troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health issues is the unfortunate truth. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) manifests itself in many different ways in different people. There are as many different ways to treat PTSD as there are veterans suffering from PTSD. A new study suggests PTSD can also differ by gender.

Analysts from the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) looked at information on almost 330,000 veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The information was supplied by the VA and covered veterans receiving VA health care between 2002 to 2008. More women are performing more military jobs than ever before. This study seeks to help identify the needs and individuality of women requiring care from the VA.

The study's results indicated there are significant differences between male and female veterans. According to the study, male veterans are less likely to be diagnosed with depression than female veterans. On average, male veterans are also older than female veterans, which may also be a contributing factor. Male veterans were also more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD and/or end up abusing alcohol. 

As the VA looks forward to how they will design and build health centers and programs, it is important they understand for whom they are building. The differences between male and female veterans are critical, then, in determining the type of care needed.