How PTSD Affects the Whole Body and Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

What is it about?

This paper reviews evidence that PTSD is more than a mental health problem because it affects a wide variety of systems in the body, as well as behaviors (e.g., alcoholism, smoking, sleep sleep) that increase risk of disease. Considerable research indicates that PTSD is associated with potentially health-damaging physiological changes such as inflammation, endocrine and metabolic responses, and changes in the autonomic nervous system. Because PTSD is a systemic disorder, these whole-body responses can result in increased risk of of a range of diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, sleep disorders, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. This paper focuses on relationships between PTSD and risk of cardiovascular disorders, reviews the mechanisms that may account for this relationship, and suggests implications of this evidence for treatment..

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Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Because the psychological characteristics of PTSD are just the "tip of the iceberg" of a larger set of bodily responses, understanding PTSD as a systemic disorder has implications for how PTSD is understood, studied, and treated. This paper presents suggestions about how taking this point of view can lead to different strategies and targets for both treatment and further research.