PTSD and utilization of medical treatment services among male Vietnam veterans

This study investigated the effect of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on help-seeking for physical problems. Merging two large data sets resulted in a sample of 1773 male Vietnam veterans from white, black, Hispanic, Nat ive Hawaiian, and Japanese American ethnic groups. Predictors of utilizatio n included PTSD, other axis I disorders, and substance abuse. In analyses t hat adjusted only for age, PTSD was related to greater utilization of recen t and lifetime VA medical services, and with recent inpatient care from all sources. Further analysis showed that the increased utilization associated with PTSD was not merely due to the high comorbidity between PTSD and othe r axis I disorders. The uniqueness of the association between PTSD and medi cal utilization is discussed in terms of somatization and physical illness.