Veterans for Diversity, Inc

Women's Health Program

Veterans for Diversity, Inc in partnership with Pan Oxman of the Milwaukee LGBT Center are working together to provide a program of health initiatives for lesbian veterans who have served and are serving their country. For information on the LGBT Breast Health Program you can find it at: http://www.mkelgbt.org/index.asp?p=19

Female veterans aged 20-39 less likely to use most harmful substances than male counterparts

Female veterans aged 20-39 about half as likely to engage in binge drinking as male counterparts (23 percent versus 43 percent)
According to a new spotlight by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), female veterans aged 20-39 are far less likely to engage in binge drinking or the use of substances such as cigarettes and illicit drugs than male veterans of the same age group. 

The differences were most pronounced in terms of binge drinking -- drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion.  While 22.9 percent of female veterans reported binge drinking in the past month, 43.2 percent of male veterans in this age group had engaged in it within the same period. 

There was also a significant difference in the levels of substance abuse between female and male veterans age 20-39 regarding illicit drug use. While 13.1 percent of male veterans used illicit drugs in the past month only 9.6 percent of female veterans used drugs.

Similarly there was a significant difference in cigarette use levels. Past month cigarette use for males was 40.9 percent, while it was 33.4 percent for female veterans.

A copy of the report is available at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/spotlight/FemaleVeterans.pdf

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Women Veterans

PTSD can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you.

If you are in the military, you may have seen combat. You may have been on missions that exposed you to horrible and life-threatening experiences. You may have been shot at, seen a friend shot, or seen death. These are types of events that can lead to PTSD.

Military sexual trauma can also lead to PTSD. Sometimes, PTSD is also associated with intimate partner violence (IPV).

Women are more likely than men to develop chronic, or long-lasting, PTSD after experiencing a trauma. Not all women who experience a traumatic event develop PTSD. However, women are more likely to develop PTSD if they:

  • Have a past mental health problem (like depression or anxiety)
  • Experience a very severe or life-threatening trauma
  • Were sexually assaulted
  • Were injured during the event
  • Had a severe reaction at the time of the event
  • Experienced other stressful events afterwards
  • Do not have good social support

Some PTSD symptoms are more common in women than in men. Women are more likely to be jumpy, to have trouble feeling emotions, and to avoid things that remind them of the trauma.

Treatment

PTSD can be treated. A doctor or mental health professional with experience in treating people with PTSD can help you. Treatment may include "talk" therapy, medication, or both.

Treatment might take 6 to 12 weeks. For some people, it takes longer. Treatment is not the same for everyone. What works for you might not work for someone else.

Remember: drinking alcohol or using other drugs will not help PTSD go away, and may even make it worse.


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