When filing a claim for PTSD, it is essential to support the plaintiff’s testimony with objective evidence. It is common for defense counsel to argue that the plaintiff “manufactured” their PTSD symptoms.
Some of the most valuable evidence includes medical and employment records. These documents can demonstrate the severity and duration of a veteran’s PTSD symptoms.
Workplace Stressors
Workplace stressors can cause physical and psychological injuries. High workloads, inflexible schedules, poor workplace design and structure, and bullying and harassment characterize them. These factors compromise employee performance and affect morale and health.
PTSD symptoms can trigger thoughts, feelings, words, objects, or places that remind you of the traumatic event. You may also avoid activities, people, and emotions that remind you of the trauma. This avoidance causes you to become isolated and can contribute to depression.
Identifying and understanding the specific stressors for PTSD is crucial in developing effective coping strategies and seeking appropriate treatment for individuals affected by this condition.
When applying for disability benefits, your medical records will be crucial to demonstrate PTSD symptoms and their effects on your life. In addition, you will need buddy statements from other service members who can attest to the circumstances surrounding your PTSD diagnosis. These statements must closely match your account of the events.
Family Conflict
People with PTSD often struggle to be around other people and prefer to spend time alone. This isolation can contribute to depression and other mental health issues. It is important to find safe, healthy people to connect with and support you as you navigate your PTSD symptoms and recovery process.
Symptoms of PTSD can affect people from all walks of life. The traumas that trigger PTSD don’t always have to happen in the military and can even include things like hearing that a loved one has died.
Family members play an essential role in veterans’ treatment, both encouraging them to seek treatment and shaping their trajectories once they begin EBPs. One study found that when clinicians routinely offer family sessions, they can positively impact patients’ trajectories.
Financial Issues
Financial PTSD can be caused by anything that leads to an anxiety-based or avoidant reaction to money, including bankruptcy, job loss, investment losses, or losing a spouse. This type of PTSD can lead to financial stressors that can cause depression and anxiety, but it can also impact physical health through increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The researchers used a prevalence-based approach to estimate excess direct health care and non-health care costs associated with PTSD from a societal perspective. The estimates were based on published literature and government publications using cost comparisons between adults with PTSD and those without PTSD or the general population when information was not available for those without PTSD. The estimated costs were weighted to account for differences between males and females.
Relationship Issues
PTSD can impact relationships in a variety of ways. Survivors may feel they can’t trust others and that intimacy is dangerous, which can affect their emotional well-being, as well as their ability to maintain healthy connections.
Research examining the role of individual-level moderators is needed to understand better the association between PTSD symptoms and relationship functioning. For example, preexisting depression in survivors could strengthen the degree to which PTSD symptoms are associated with relationship impairments or vice versa.
Symptoms of PTSD can be treated with therapy, such as trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, which involves gradually “exposing” survivors to feelings and situations that remind them of the traumatic event and replacing distorted and irrational thoughts with more balanced ones. Medication is also sometimes used to help relieve secondary symptoms like anxiety or depression that are related to PTSD.
Physical Health Issues
While it’s easy to focus on the emotional and financial impact of PTSD, physical health issues can also play an important role. Some symptoms include decreased appetite, insomnia, and problems with memory and concentration. Other physical issues related to PTSD include a higher risk of substance abuse and chronic pain.
PTSD can be a qualifying condition for a personal injury or workers’ compensation claim. In general, a claimant needs to meet the following criteria:
Many Veterans are hesitant to seek treatment for PTSD due to stigma and a lack of information. WWP programs and partners are working to raise awareness about the symptoms of PTSD and the benefits of receiving care.
