Service members in the military who are affected by PTSD may specifically fear that their superiors and peers may view them as unfit for duty, and that they’ll be discharged as a result. In the military, there’s also a stigma that PTSD means you’re weak or can’t be trusted to protect others. (6)

Stigma can prevent military service members from seeking treatment. A meta-analysis in the journal Epidemiologic Reviews found that two of the most common concerns military personnel had about seeking help were that their unit leadership might treat them differently and that they would be seen as weak. But stigma doesn’t prevent everyone from seeking help: Some studies in the meta-analysis found that military personnel with mental health problems still sought out treatment or reported being interested in doing so. (7)

What Organizations and the Government Are Doing to Help Reduce PTSD Stigma

“There is this sense that people are starting to realize that you can do something about it and it’s something that happened to you — it’s not something that you could have prevented or were born with,” says Obianuju Berry, MD, a psychiatry instructor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

Within the last 10 years, there have been attempts by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), military, and American Psychological Association to help reduce the stigma associated with PTSD and all types of mental illness, and to encourage people to seek help.

In 2012, the Department of Defense and the VA announced that they would invest $100 million into research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and mild traumatic brain injury. There has also been a push by the military and some psychiatrists to change the name to post-traumatic stress injury, in an effort to reduce the stigma.

Although social media can be a place where stigma can breed, it can also be a powerful tool to end the stigma, as can be seen through the #stopthestigma and #SilencetheShame movements. Some research suggests that people with PTSD who share their stories on social media may be practicing a form of self-care. (8) “There’s a lot of ways people are being encouraged to be real and be vulnerable,” Schwartz says.

How People With PTSD Can Overcome Barriers to Care

“PTSD is really a disorder of failed recovery, and the reason that it occurs is because of a lack of support,” Schwartz says. “With the understanding that with sufficient support most people are resilient, most people can work through the effects of post-traumatic stress, seeking support is not something to be shameful for. It’s something that all humans need.”

Experts agree that increased awareness about PTSD is needed. But therapists who try to push a diagnosis or medication can sometimes be a barrier to getting the right treatment. “Sometimes it can be better found in peer-support-type organizations or peer-counseling organizations that have less of that medical model,” Schwartz says.

Fortunately for Rose, the stigma she faced after her diagnosis did not prevent her from seeking treatment. In fact, her husband and two children educated themselves about PTSD and sought out their own help. “They always call this our new normal,” she says.

Rose also found a way to channel her pain into something positive with her writing and public speaking. “I want to bring awareness to the forefront and help end the stigma of living with PTSD,” she says.