Why are Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans seeking PTSD disability compensation at unprecedented rates?

Richard J McNally; B Christopher Frueh

doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.07.002

Why are Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans seeking PTSD disability compensation at unprecedented rates?

J Anxiety Disord. 2013 Jun;27(5):520-6. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.07.002. Epub 2013 Jul 26.

Authors

Richard J McNally¹, B Christopher Frueh

Affiliation

¹ Department of Psychology, Harvard University, William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 2138, USA. rjm@wjh.harvard.edu

PMID: 23954726
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.07.002

Abstract

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced historically low rates of fatalities, injuries, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among U.S. combatants. Yet they have also produced historically unprecedented rates of PTSD disability compensation seeking from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The purpose of this article is to consider hypotheses that might potentially resolve this paradox, including high rates of PTSD, delayed onset PTSD, malingered PTSD, and economic variables.

Keywords: Disability compensation; Malingering; PTSD; Veterans.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Afghan Campaign 2001-
Compensation and Redress*
Humans
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Models, Theoretical
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States
Veterans*
Work