PTSD · the numbers

29.7 percent. That's it.

PTSD, unlike many other conditions on this site, has no shortage of proven treatments. The shortage lies in who actually receives that treatment.

How common it is

Bigger than you think

1,3%

of the Dutch population had ever been diagnosed with PTSD according to DSM-5 criteria.

1,6%

once had a diagnosis of complex PTSD according to ICD-11 criteria, the more severe variant after prolonged trauma.

29,7%

of everyone with PTSD in their lives has ever received guideline-compliant treatment.

That last number is the core problem of this page. Of the people who did receive treatment, 56.3% received first-line trauma-focused treatment such as EMDR or trauma-focused CBT. That means less than a third of everyone with PTSD throughout their lives.

What is striking

Who is missed most often

Risk factors for PTSD include younger age (16 to 49 years), female gender, lower education level and having been previously married. Complex PTSD occurs internationally in 3 to 8% of women compared to 1 to 3% of men.

“Insufficient questioning by professionals plays a role in missing the diagnosis, according to our own research into bottlenecks in PTSD care.”

Why it was missed is

It is not in the patient, but in the look

Symptoms point in all directions

PTSD can present itself as sleep problems, physical symptoms or relationship problems, not just as re-experiences.

Complex PTSD doesn't have its own box

Without a separate DSM-5 category, CPTSD is often confused with anxiety or a personality disorder.

Avoidance works both ways

Those who avoid the trauma often also avoid discussing it, even with the GP or practitioner.

What the numbers do not tell

What does and does not count

Yes counted

What is visible

People who received a PTSD diagnosis
Effectiveness of EMDR and trauma-focused CBT in research
Treatment capacity within specialized mental healthcare

Not counted

What is invisible remains

Anyone with PTSD who never received guideline-compliant treatment
Complex PTSD treated under another name
The years between the trauma and the moment it became a topic of discussion

Sources

Where these figures come from

1.3% PTSD (DSM-5), 1.6% complex PTSD (ICD-11), 29.7% treated in accordance with the guideline

Journal of Psychiatry, epidemiological research into trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD in the Netherlands. See magazinevoorpsychiatrie.nl.

Extensive guideline with more treatment options

Guidelines database, PTSD Psychotherapy module. See productendatabase.nl, and VGCt Kennisnet about the updated guideline. See kennisnet.vgct.nl.

Insufficient questioning as a bottleneck

Guidelines database, diagnosis and classification of PTSD, with reference to the PTSD Improvement Report (2020). See productendatabase.nl.

CPTSD not separately recognised in DSM-5, but in ICD-11 since 2022

Wikipedia, medically substantiated review article on complex post-traumatic stress disorder. See nl.wikipedia.org.

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