According to the IOM publication, more study is necessary to reveal the best treatment for PTSD, as an overwhelming number of past studies have been biased by self-interested pharmaceutical companies and clinicians, as well as information gaps and high dropout rates. Furthermore, past studies have failed to include participants with co-occurring mood disorders and addiction issues, despite the fact that the majority of individuals diagnosed with PTSD suffer from co-existing conditions.
Interestingly, the IOM report indicates that 12.6% of veterans returning from Iraq and 6.2% of veterans returning from Afghanistan have experienced PTSD. In order to obtain these numbers, the IOM compiled surveys from a number of reputable organizations. The 2006 IOM publication “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis and Assessment” (which was also sponsored by the VA), which concluded that experienced professionals should use DSM-IV diagnostic criteria to diagnose PTSD, will hopefully help contribute to the creation of a universal standard for obtaining statistics.[1]
The statistical numbers for PTSD need to be administered with greater care and relevance to truly, accurately determine the number of military personnel affected. For example, a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United For Truth, Inc. – two non-profit organizations based in Washington, DC and San Francisco respectively – cites a report written by the Defense Department’s Task Force on Mental Illness stating that 38% of soldiers and 50% of National Guard members who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan report mental health issues ranging from post-combat stress to brain injuries.[2] Despite the fact that the main purpose of the civil suit is to assess and treat PTSD, the statistics used encompass the entire range of mental health issues and brain injuries.
Several excellent points are brought up by the IOM report. For one, the report emphasizes that VA and other government agencies should ensure that PTSD treatment studies take scientific methods into account, in order to address the quality of the clinical finding results, and proposes that Congress fund this effort. The study suggests that Congress should fund this effort. Secondly, the IOM report recommends that those individuals whose mental health is most at stake (primarily Veterans) take part in the research planning. The IOM study also points out that although clinical studies report a degree of success with exposure therapy (such as exposing individuals to a real or surrogate threat in a safe environment to help them overcome their fears),[3] the purpose of the report was not to recommend this or any type of therapy or modality. Therefore, they could only state that more research is needed to discover what works best. The IOM does call for the treatment of PTSD to be best suited to the individual (whether it is medication treatment with or without variant forms of psychotherapy) to achieve efficacy in treatment. Finally, the publication emphasizes the need for research that includes individuals living with co-occurring mood disorders.
