Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Sara Cardine of The (Stockton, Calif.) Record reports on a PTSD treatment group for female veterans.

Cardine writes:

... The program helps women deal with multiple sources of trauma. It's not uncommon for veterans to be living with PTSD and military sexual trauma, according to Dr. Darrah Westrup, a clinical psychologist and director of the Women's Mental Health Center.

A total of 3,796 women who left the military since Sept. 11, 2001, and sought VA care were thought to have PTSD, and an additional 500 sought mental services for chemical dependency, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Among all female veterans using VA services, about one in five screened positive for military sexual trauma, roughly 20 times the rate of male veterans.