Probability of Developing PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a lifetime prevalence of approximately 6% in the US general population, affecting about 15 million adults in any given year. While about 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, only a fraction develop PTSD.

Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD (lifetime prevalence of 8% vs. 4%), partly because women are more likely to experience high-impact trauma such as sexual assault. The highest rates are found among combat veterans (11-20%), sexual assault survivors (up to 50%), and survivors of mass violence events. Other risk factors include prior trauma, childhood adversity, preexisting mental health conditions, and lack of social support.

Effective treatments include trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure therapy (PE), and EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). SSRIs (sertraline and paroxetine) are the only FDA-approved medications for PTSD. With treatment, many patients experience significant improvement, though about one-third of cases become chronic.