Rethinking PTSD: What Clinicians May Miss When They Follow the Stereotypes

June is PTSD Awareness Month and an opportunity to challenge everything we think we know about trauma.

When people hear “PTSD,” many still imagine a soldier returning from war, silently suffering for years. But this outdated image is not just misleading, it’s clinically dangerous.

PTSD is treatable. And most people who live with it are women, many of whom never use the word “trauma” to describe their experience. They show up in clinics with chronic pain, anxiety, irritability, and sleep issues. They get labeled with depression, ADHD, or panic disorder. The PTSD goes unspoken and untreated.

This PTSD Awareness Month, we’re highlighting five critical facts from a recent Psychology Today article by MindMetrix co-founder Joel L. Young, MD, and why they matter so deeply for mental health care today.

1. Most people with PTSD are women.

Popular portrayals of PTSD still skew toward male combat veterans, but epidemiology tells a different story. Between 10–12% of women will experience PTSD in their lifetime compared to just 5–6% of men.

Why the disparity? Gendered violence, sexual trauma, and medical trauma (especially surrounding birth and reproductive care) are common contributors. Women are also more likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic event, and trauma has a cumulative effect—the more prior trauma, the higher the risk.

Clinicians must be mindful that trauma doesn’t always follow an obvious narrative. Sometimes it’s hidden in plain sight.

2. PTSD rarely shows up alone.

PTSD is rarely a standalone diagnosis. Clinicians often encounter:

• Somatic complaints
• Misdiagnosed depression
• Overlapping ADHD symptoms
• Unaddressed substance use

These aren’t red herrings, they’re part of the PTSD picture. Patients with depression or neurodivergence may be more vulnerable to developing PTSD. Autistic individuals, for example, may experience “mild” stressors as deeply traumatic due to neurological sensitivity.

Without tools to connect the dots, clinicians can miss the trauma hiding behind the symptoms.

3. PTSD can manifest physically.

PTSD is a psychiatric condition but it doesn’t live only in the mind. It often manifests as real, chronic physical symptoms: migraines, GI issues, insomnia, and muscle pain. These patients may spend years searching for a physical diagnosis while the underlying trauma remains unaddressed.

They may also be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and substance use disorders, particularly when sleep is chronically disrupted. One study found that 25–75% of people with substance use disorders experienced trauma first.

When the symptoms don’t add up medically, a trauma screen should be on the table.

4. Outdated treatments can make things worse.

Despite growing awareness, PTSD is still frequently mistreated. Benzodiazepines and cannabis, both commonly reached-for interventions, can worsen symptoms or introduce new risks.

Newer guidelines recommend against these as frontline treatments, instead emphasizing trauma-informed psychotherapy and careful pharmacologic support. While emerging treatments like psychedelics show promise, they're not yet widely accessible—and shouldn’t be treated as first-line options.

Effective care depends on correct diagnosis and clinical nuance, not defaulting to anti-anxiety scripts.

5. Triggers are real but trigger warnings might not help.

We’ve all heard the term “triggered” used loosely. But for people with PTSD, triggers can provoke flashbacks, dissociation, or intense emotional reactivity—essentially re-living trauma in real time.

Well-intentioned trigger warnings may not be the answer. Studies show they may increase avoidance behaviors and fail to prevent distress. Instead, workplaces and providers should foster environments where people can take space, ask for accommodations, and be believed.

So… what can clinicians do differently?

The complexity of PTSD means one thing: guesswork isn’t good enough.

We built our platform to support clinicians with structured, data-backed tools that screen for PTSD and over 60 DSM-5 conditions, including the comorbidities most likely to obscure a trauma diagnosis.

Our system incorporates validated trauma scales like the PCL-5, highlights symptom patterns clinicians might otherwise overlook, and offers clarity on the conditions often confused with or co-occurring alongside PTSD.

And with our adolescent assessment, we capture trauma from both the teen and caregiver perspective because trauma doesn’t always come with disclosure.

Let’s stop assuming PTSD has a “look.”

Let’s stop treating trauma as an afterthought.

Let’s stop flying blind when the tools exist to help us see.

Read the full Psychology Today article by Dr. Joel L. Young here.