The "lifetime prevalence of PTSD in the United States," according to a new research brief from RTI International, Preventing and treating PTSD and related conditions in adults: A research agenda. According to the brief, the lifetime prevalence in women is 9.7% and in men, 3.6%, "with higher rates for military personnel." Summary research and treatment recommendations for PTSD in adults include the following:
 

Prevention interventions 
• Expanded studies of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapies and complex collaborative care models 
• Trials and comparative (head-to-head) studies of both psychological and pharmaceutical interventions 

Treatment comparisons 
• Psychological treatments with the best evidence of efficacy 
• Medications with moderate strength of evidence supporting their efficacy (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, topiramate, and venlafaxine)
• Psychological and pharmacological treatments with the best evidence of efficacy (e .g., exposure therapy compared with paroxetine) 
• Combinations of the psychological and pharmacological treatments with the best evidence of efficacy compared with either one alone

Crosscutting issues 
• Harms • Subgroup analyses for patient populations defined by sociodemographic characteristics, types and severity of trauma tic events, baseline levels of distress and symptoms, types of clinicians or caregivers, and settings
• Numerous methods deficiencies— e.g., specifying conceptual frameworks, improving study designs , mounting longer studies , strengthening outcome measurement, reducing attribution, handling missing data, and using appropriate statistical techniques