Age Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders, and Healthcare Service Use Among Veterans in Veterans Affairs Primary Care Clinics

Elderly veterans who use VA primary care services evidence lower rates of PTSD and other psychiatric disorders, and they use significantly less VA mental health services. They also do not appear to show evidence of worse physical health functioning or use VA health care services or disability benefits at a meaningfully higher rate than their younger counterparts.