Be aware of connection between veteran PTS and problem gambling (Your Letters) – syracuse.com

To the Editor;

As the Veteran Outreach Coordinator at the New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG), I felt the month of June -- Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) Awareness Month -- would be a good time to raise awareness on the connection between PTS and problem gambling.

Veterans are often first associated with PTS. The number of veterans with PTS varies by service era:

However, PTS can occur in all people of any ethnicity, nationality, culture, and age. PTS affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year, and an estimated one in 11 people willbe diagnosed with PTS in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTS.

A study (Hierholzer, R. et al., 2010) found the presence of current PTS symptoms to be one of the strongest predictors for at-risk gambling behavior.

The good news is that most cases improve with time, especially with professional treatment.

Help is available. Anyone struggling or negatively affected by gambling problems should visit https://NYProblemGamblingHELP.org/ for information, resources, and local treatment services.

Jonathan Crandall, BSW, CASAC-T|Veteran Outreach

East Syracuse, NY

Write to us:How to submit letters and commentary to Syracuse.com

Excerpt from:

Be aware of connection between veteran PTS and problem gambling (Your Letters) - syracuse.com