woman with ptsd in treatment session
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Summary: Based on recent data, more people are getting PTSD, and we are getting better at diagnosing it. This is a chicken/egg question: it’s difficult to discern whether prevalence is truly increasing or our diagnostic criteria are improving.

Key Points:

  • While diagnosis of PTSD is indeed increasing around the world, it’s not logical to assert that humans experience more trauma than in the past.
  • Modern developments – medicine, electricity, communication, transportation, and education, for instance – mean that in the big picture, humans likely experience less trauma than in the past.
  • From the earliest recognition of PTSD in soldiers in the 19th and 20th centuries, awareness of the emotional and psychological impact of trauma has increased.
  • As awareness increases and diagnosis improves, prevalence data is likely to continue to increase, as well.

Traumatic Experiences: We Understand What They Are and Know How to Help

The answer to the question in the title – Are More People Getting PTSD or Are We Just Better at Diagnosing It? – is, unfortunately, one that may cause frustration.

Why?

Because the answer is yes.

We can correct that ambiguity by rephrasing the original question as a statement:

More people are getting diagnosed with PTSD because we know more about what it is, more about what causes it, and more about what to look for, which means we are indeed far better at diagnosing it than at any time in the past.

As we mention above, it doesn’t make sense to think humans experience more traumatic events than in the past. People live longer, survive serious accidents and illnesses more often, and find their way from danger to safety in greater numbers than at any time in our history. In other words, the modern world and modern technology have made life on earth more survivable for humans than at any time in the past – that is, if we temporarily ignore the potential upcoming changes associated with climate change.

But that’s a different topic.

If we look at trauma and PTSD diagnoses since 1980, for instance, we may conclude that traumatic experiences are increasing worldwide. And if we look at treatment for PTSD since around 1980, we may conclude that as traumatic experiences have increased, our ability to help people manage symptoms and process past trauma has also increased.

Let’s take a closer look at the state of PTSD diagnosis worldwide.

How Many People Have PTSD?

The real answer is neither simple nor straightforward.

In areas not currently at war or conflict, rates of PTSD appear between 2% and 5%, while in areas currently at war or in conflict, rates appear between 20% and 40%.

The peer-reviewed journal article “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Evolving Conceptualization and Evidence, and Future Research Directions” includes a wealth of information that can help us understand the difficulty of establishing reliable PTSD prevalence figures.

With an element of the unknown understood as a given, the study authors identify several factors that may influence recent perceived increases in both the incidence and diagnosis of PTSD worldwide:

In addition, experts predict that in the coming decade, climate change is:

“…likely to further exacerbate the frequency of traumatic events, and their direct and indirect impact on adults and children.”

Given these default conditions, and acknowledging the uncertainty around comprehensive accuracy, let’s look at the most recent reliable prevalence studies on PTSD.

PTSD: The Latest Facts and Figures

A meta-analysis with data on 71,083 people from 24 countries showed the following lifetime prevalence of PTSD:

  • General population: 3.9%
  • High-income countries: 5.0%
  • Upper-middle-income countries: 2.3%
  • Low/lower middle-income countries: 2.1%

Other survey-based studies report various prevalences of PTSD:

  • Japan: 1.3% in Japan
  • Spain: 2.2%
  • South Africa: 2.3%
  • Northern Ireland: 8.8% in Northern Ireland
  • China: 0.4%

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Center for PTSD show the following prevalence of PTSD in the U.S.:

  • Past-year PTSD diagnosis: 5%
  • Ever diagnosed with PTSD: 6%
    • Women: 8%
    • Men: 4%

While those sources all show PTSD prevalences within a common range of 2-5 percent, recent reviews of prevalence in sub-Saharan African countries reported:

  • Past-week and past-year PTSD: 22%
  • Conflict regions: 30%
  • Non-conflict regions: 8%

Based on this significant variation in the data, the researchers observe:

“The prevalence of PTSD appears to vary widely. This is partly due to the populations studied, but also to variation in reporting of and exposure to traumatic events. For example, if specific trauma events that are associated with a high risk of PTSD, such as sexual assault, are not reported due to stigma, this will lead to underestimates of PTSD prevalence at the population level.”

This is where awareness, education, and reducing stigma are paramount.

We can’t help people when we don’t know they need help.

Thankfully, we’ve come a long way in the U.S. where PTSD is concerned. In general, people in the U.S. know what trauma is and that it has long-term, negative consequences that can disrupt daily life and create problems in relationships, at work, and at school.

Our PTSD Knowledge is Expanding

Although PTSD was first identified in and most commonly associated with veterans of active combat during war or military actions, most people also know that it’s not only experiencing combat that can lead to PTSD, but also wide range of experiences, including:

  • Witnessing or experiencing war
  • Emotional abuse, sexual abuse, assault, rape
  • Emotional, sexual, or physical abuse during childhood
  • Witnessing or experiencing domestic violence
  • Serious accident, illness, disease, or injury
  • Living through a natural disaster

People with PTSD now have more effective, evidence-based than ever before. In the U.S., the Department of Veterans Affairs (USVA) leads the way in PTSD research, data collection, analysis, publication, and public facing awareness programs and messaging.

To understand how we’ve come so far – and can’t really discern whether more people are getting PTSD or we’re just getting better at diagnosing it – it’s helpful to review this informative timeline of PTSD-centered programs funded and implemented by the VA.

Department of Veterans Affairs: PTSD Research Progress Timeline

  1. In 1989, the VA established the National Center for PTSD (NC-PTSD) to help veterans with PTSD heal, grow, and live productive lives after experiencing the trauma of combat. The VA pioneered research on talk therapy, exposure therapy, EMDR, medication, alternative treatments, and lifestyle changes that help all people – not only veterans – manage the symptoms of PTSD.
  2. By 2007, expanded the evidence base on exposure therapy to show its effectiveness for female combat veterans. This evidence also opened the door for increased uptake of exposure therapy for female survivors of rape, abuse, and sexual assault.
  3. In 2013, partnered with the Department of Defense, the University of Texas, and Virgina Commonwealth University to enhance and expand research on PTSD associated with traumatic brain injury.
  4. In 2014, to support the volume of research and data generated by the NC-PTSD, established the National PTSD Brain Bank, which is “…a human tissue bank that collects, processes, stores and gives out research specimens for future scientific studies.” Also, around this time, made two important discoveries:
  • Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is effective and safe for PTSD patients when delivered via teleconferencing.
This was six years before we all experienced the COVID zoom revolution.
  • Confirmed that proactive, preventive counseling immediately post-combat can reduce risk of developing PTSD among combat veterans.
  1. Established the VA PTSD Psychopharmacology Initiative (PPI) to “identify, test, and confirm” the most effective PTSD medications, including research into cannabinoids and psychedelics.
      • Identified structural and functional differences in the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD on the human brain.
  1. Conducted research in 2017 to confirm prolonged exposure therapy (PET) is safe and effective when delivered via telehealth.
  1. In 2017 and 2018, confirmed that real world support to address one of the most important social determinants of health (SDOH), employment, can help patients with PTSD return to full functioning after treatment.
  2. Launched research into matram therapy in 2019, a meditation-based treatment combining meditation and the repetition of verbal mantras to improve PTSD. Initial results show matram therapy effective for reducing PTSD symptoms of hyperarousal.
      • Published findings on the effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for PTSD, identifying it as a promising new therapy.
      • Published findings indicating present-centered therapy (PCT) is non-inferior to CPT, but with lower dropout rates, making it a viable option for PTSD treatment.
  1. Between 2020 and 2022, published reports on complementary treatment options for PTSD offered by the VA, establishing treatment guidelines and outlining the basics of effective complementary supports for PTSD.
  2. In 2024, partnered with private organizations to explore the latest developments in psychedelic psychiatry and form the revamped Parsons Research Center for Psychedelic Healing, a center dedicated to exploringmpsychedelic psychotherapy, with a focus on PTSD symptom reduction.

Through a series of public-private partnerships from both sides of the political aisle, the VA has spearheaded PTSD research in the U.S., which has significantly expanded our knowledge of everything related to PTSD.

PTSD Diagnosis and Treatment

The advances in PTSD over the past three decades include our ability to diagnose, treat, and even reduce PTSD risk after a traumatic event.

In summary, more people are getting diagnosed for PTSD because we know more about it and have expanded our diagnostic criteria to keep pace with new discoveries in PTSD research. In the U.S. we’re fortunate to have the resources of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to support ongoing PTSD research. This decades-long commitment has led to significant advances in both our knowledge of PTSD and the development of effective new treatments for PTSD.

The work of the VA helps veterans, victims of sexual assault and abuse, refugees of war and conflict, victims of emotional abuse and neglect, and anyone with a history of trauma, from single incidents to complex trauma over years, find relief from the disruptive, debilitating symptoms of PTSD. With our increased awareness and expanding toolbox of treatment and diagnostic options, we can offer effective care for trauma survivors, and help them manage their symptoms and lead full and productive lives.