PTSD Study at Walter Reed AMC

NPR : Fighting Post-traumatic Stress at Walter Reed

It has been documented that the rate of PTSD is generally higher among those soldiers who are injured than those who experience war without being injured. This has been true for every conflict in modern history. However, a new study at Walter Reed demonstrates that this is NOT true for those returning from Iraq and being treated at the hospital.

While 17% of those returning from Iraq who are being treated at the hospital showed signs of depression or PTSD, only 4% of the injured also showed signs of PTSD. This compares to the normal 33% seen in car accidents and other wars.

This story examines why this may be true, looking at a study of more than 600 soldiers being treated at the hospital. First, there is a high level of hands-on physical therapy for the injured compared to those who are not. Second, there is a great deal of support from both the families of the patients and encouragement from other soldiers with similar or worse injuries. They are also young and atheletic, and as soldiers they face recovery as another mission.

The "preventive psychiatry" practiced at the hospital also stands out as extraordinary. Unlike traditional psychiatric approaches, the doctors at Walter Reed are particularly engaging, friendly and easy to communicate with.

This story is also interesting for two other reasons. It is noted that the level of care offered is very intense and expensive, and it is noted that a longer-term follow-up study shows that, while the normal pattern is that incidence of PTSD are initially high but trail off over the following months, the incidence of PTSD triples among the injured 3 to 6 months after they leave the hospital.