Welcome to guest blogger and OT Karon Uzzell-Baggett, OTD, OTR/L, Lt Col (ret), USAF
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health disorder that affects about 6% of the United States population every year. It appears in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) and is categorized as a stress disorder that develops after a traumatic experience. The most common forms of trauma include motor vehicle accidents, natural disasters (hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, fires, etc.), physical or sexual assaults, or the sudden death of a loved one according to the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (Military post-traumatic stress disorder, 2025).
Keep reading to discover:
• PTSD and military personnel
• PTSD is a complex condition
• How you can learn more about occupational therapy and PTSD
PTSD and Military Personnel
Military personnel experience PTSD at a higher rate than the general public and their triggering traumatic events can be dramatically different. Occupational Therapists in settings ranging from acute care to rehabilitation to community-based programs are critical to providing client-centered, evidence-based support.
PTSD is a Complex Condition
PTSD is no longer categorized as an anxiety issue or a depressive disorder. It is instead a complex condition with eight criteria. The criteria vary from ones that are required to variations that may or may not be present.
Occupational Therapists and other health professionals are aware of PTSD as a signature component of the polytrauma triad linked to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, but it has a long linkage to the military throughout history. As early as Mesopotamian times, there were reports of soldiers suffering mental anguish after engaging in military battles and this continued through the intervening centuries.
What You Can Expect in My Upcoming New Webinar
Factors that contribute to PTSD in military personnel will be examined, along with interventions that have been shown to enable military personnel to enjoy more productive lives, in my upcoming new course, Occupational Therapy for PTSD: Pathways to Healing. Click Here to Learn More
The specifics of the criteria for PTSD will be examined to provide a full understanding of this mental health condition.
The evolution of PTSD will be explored along with its co-occurring conditions in military personnel and its presentations in women veterans and veterans in hospice care.
Finally, assessments to screen for PTSD will be explored. Some of these are familiar ones targeting the military member, but another assessment will be introduced which can be used for spouses or partners since PTSD affects the entire family unit. Interventions, which have been shown to be effective in working with military clients, will be explored.
Now is a critical time for military healthcare. Dramatic changes are underway at the Department of Veterans Affairs which will impact the quality and level of care provided to military personnel. It is critical that Occupational Therapists, regardless of clinical or community settings, have a basic understanding of PTSD and the unique presentations in military personnel. Please join me to expand your OT lens!
Reference:
Military post-traumatic stress disorder. (2025). Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Retrieved from https://www.abct.org/fact-sheets/military-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/
