Aging Veterans and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms

For many Veterans, memories of their wartime experiences can still be upsetting long after they served in combat. If you are an older Veteran, you may have served many years ago, but your military experience can still affect your life today. Here are some ways that past military experience can affect you as you get older.

Many older Veterans find they have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms even 50 or more years after their wartime experience. Some symptoms of PTSD include having nightmares or feeling like you are reliving the event, avoiding situations that remind you of the event, being easily startled, and loss of interest in activities.

There are several reasons why symptoms of PTSD may increase with age:

• Retirement may make your symptoms feel worse because you have more time to think and fewer things to distract you from your memories.

• Medical problems and feeling like you are not as strong as you used to be also can increase symptoms.

• Bad news on television and scenes from current wars bring back bad memories.

• Coping with stress by using alcohol or other substances. Then if you stop drinking late in life, without another, healthier way of coping, can make PTSD symptoms seem worse.

• After a traumatic event such as military combat, a physical assault, or a natural disaster. While stress is common after a trauma, people with PTSD often relive a traumatic event in their minds. They may also feel distant from friends and family and experience anger that does not go away over time, or may even get worse.

PTSD can affect individuals who have experienced a wide range of life-threatening events. VA’s National Center for PTSD estimates that about 8% of the population will have PTSD at some point in their lives. In Veterans, PTSD is commonly associated with combat trauma. It has taken a significant toll on many Veterans who currently use VA health care. According to the National Center for PTSD, the prevalence of PTSD in Veterans who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan is about 11–20%. Military sexual trauma (MST), which can happen to both men and women, can also lead to PTSD.

People with PTSD can experience several distressing and persistent symptoms, including re-experiencing trauma through flashbacks or nightmares, emotional numbness, sleep problems, difficulties in relationships, sudden anger, and drug and alcohol misuse. Recently, reckless and self-destructive behavior has been added as a PTSD symptom.

VA is committed to funding research to better understand, diagnose, assess, and treat PTSD. VA research has led the way in developing effective psychotherapies for PTSD and exploring other approaches such as medications, behavioral interventions, and therapeutic devices. VA also has a strong track record of moving PTSD research into clinical practice.

VA researchers are working to better understand the underlying biology of PTSD, advance new treatments, and refine diagnostic approaches. Ongoing studies range from investigations of genetic or biochemical foundations of PTSD to evaluating new treatments and drugs.

VA research aims to improve Veterans’ quality of life by increasing the number and type of evidence-based treatments and identifying additional personalized approaches for treating PTSD. Current PTSD research includes studies of Veterans, their families, and couples. Veterans of all eras are included in these studies.

Raymond Allen Jr., U.S. Army SFC (RET.) Volusia County Veterans Services 123 West Indiana Avenue DeLand, Florida 32720 Phone: 386-740-5102 Fax: 386-740-5101