This is how employers can help support their veteran population suffering from PTSD

Veterans in the workplace are suffering — and employers may have the tools to help, if they know what to look for.

Of the 11-20% of veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD, only 9% of veterans surveyed by digital therapeutic service Freespira say they have fully recovered from PTSD and no longer have symptoms. But it’s not from a lack of trying: veterans listed transportation challenges and finding nearby providers with PTSD experience as the main barriers to accessing healthcare services.

And with veterans making up 7% of the American workforce, their mental health — and the overwhelming burden of it — could be a problem many employers must learn to solve, says Dr. Robert Cuyler, a licensed chief clinical officer at Freespira.

“There are a lot of veterans who are now in one way or another in first responder roles,” Dr. Cuyler says. “So if you look at police departments, fire departments and EMTs, they have an awful lot of people who have military backgrounds who may have full-fledged PTSD or subclinical PTSD from being exposed to recurrent trauma.”

Read more: How companies can provide more opportunities for unemployed veterans

But those levels of stress aren't limited to veterans who find themselves in first responder roles. Veterans who work in corporate settings are also at high risk of having their PTSD symptoms triggered or even worsened. Sleeping difficulty, generalized anxiety and panic disorders and the inability to stay calm or present during stressful situations can all be unexpectedly activated in the workplace.

“One aspect of PTSD is you don't feel in control — psychologically, people with PTSD avoid reminders of their traumatic situations,” he says. “One of the ways of coping is to have walls around your experience. Because if you share your experience, well-intentioned folks may ask about your experience in a way that may have them go back and recall that traumatic experience.”

Veterans also are sensitive about the stigma that comes with PTSD. Over 50% of employed veterans felt that there was still stigma involved in their condition and in the workplace and were concerned with feeling misunderstood or mislabeled, according to a survey by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

The result is that veteran employees aren’t getting the treatment or relief from their symptoms. Employers need to offer more inclusive benefits that address the unique needs of this population, Dr. Cuyler says. Freespira, for example, offers an FDA-approved digital health service that uses an app to administer breathing exercises to treat panic disorders.

Read more: Inside first responders’ struggle with mental health

These alternatives to traditional treatment models can yield promising results and open up a conversation around mental health and well-being. Seventy-seven percent of surveyed respondents said they are interested in trying an alternative form of PTSD treatment that does not involve additional medications or long-term therapy, Freespira found.

Without intervention and support, the consequences are steep. Veterans — especially those suffering with their mental health — are at risk of unemployment and have a higher chance of turning to substance abuse as a form of coping. But the fault of misdiagnosed or undertreated veterans doesn’t fall on either employers or providers. But the solution, according to Dr. Cuyler, requires both to work together.

“We have seen some de-stigmatization of mental health over the past decade,” he says. “And there's been a really strong focus on employers stressing mental health and mental health options within their benefit plans as available and important. That kind of open encouragement is important.