Post: What Employers Should Know About Military PTSD

(Nadine Y. Barclay/U.S. Air Force photo) As I work with hiring teams across the country, I am repeatedly asked questions about the risks of employing a military veteran who could have PTSD. " Do all veterans have PTSD?" "What are the risks to other employees by having someone on the team who has endured combat trauma?" "Is the military veteran ‘stable’?"

Each time I encounter these questions or roadblocks to hiring, I remind employers of the misperceptions, and realities, of the condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To best explain the condition, and what employers should know, I consulted with Duane France, a retired Army noncommissioned officer, clinical mental health counselor and creator of the Head Space and Timing blog and podcast.

LC : We know that civilians have beliefs around PTSD. What do you believe are their biggest misperceptions?

DF : "One of the single largest misperceptions that many employers have is that "all veterans have PTSD." That’s certainly not true. Not even all combat veterans have PTSD. Repeated studies have shown that the rate of diagnosed PTSD is between 11% and 20% of combat veterans, nowhere near a majority of veterans.

"Another potential misperception is that PTSD causes a veteran to be "unstable" and "dangerous." This is also not true: As with any mental health condition, there are many factors to consider. Just because a veteran has a PTSD diagnosis doesn’t mean that they will be a workplace liability."

LC : Lately, we hear some people call it PTS, and not PTSD. What is the difference?

DF : "There are many reasons individuals and groups prefer to refer to it as PTS [post-traumatic stress] rather than PTSD. Many veterans groups would prefer the name to be changed, while most in the mental health community would prefer to call it as PTSD.

"The thought is that the "D" signifies a disorder, when the symptomatic reactions associated with PTSD are common to anyone who experiences exposure to a traumatic event. One motivation for ‘dropping the D’ is to reduce the stigma against seeking support, by normalizing the condition. This may […]

What Employers Should Know About Military PTSD