The Mental Toll of Service: Why Military Members Struggle with PTSD and Depression
Joining the military means signing up for sacrifice and grit, but nobody warns you how much it can mess with your head.
PTSD and depression hit service members and veterans hard, driven by wars horrors, betrayal within the ranks, and the struggle to keep going.
Eve Fusselman, who joined the Army Reserve and faced sexual assault, harassment, and terrifying threats, lived this nightmare firsthand.
Her story, paired with solid research and expert voices, shows why mental health struggles are so common in the military and what needs to change to help those who serve.
Contents
PTSD and Depression: The Numbers Hit Hard
Why Mental Health Takes Such a Beating
Eves Nightmare: From Assault to Fighting Back
What the Research Shows
Experts Speak Out
Secrets of the Uniform
PTSD and Depression: The Numbers Hit Hard
Military life can leave deep scars on your mind.
PTSD, where your brain traps you in the worst moments, brings nightmares, panic, and a constant sense of danger.
Depression, that heavy weight where nothing feels worth it, often creeps in, too.
7% of veterans deal with PTSD at some point, compared to 6% of civilians.
For troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, its a brutal 29%.
Depression is even more common. 23% of active troops and 20% of veterans face it, way above the 16.9% in regular life.
Eve Fusselmans story makes these stats feel real.
At 34, she signed up for the Army Reserve to serve her country and support her family through tough times.
But instead of pride, she got slammed with harassment, sexual assault, and was beaten, and threats that made her angrier as well as not trusting and fearful.
Why Mental Health Takes Such a Beating
Its a rough mix of pressures:
? Combats Toll: War is ugly. A study found that 17-18% of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan showed signs of PTSD or depression, mostly from what they saw and did in battle.
? Betrayal in the Ranks: Sexual harassment and assault are way too common. The VA says 23% of women veterans face military sexual trauma (MST), which makes PTSD and depression far more likely.
? Nonstop Deployments: More tours, more stress. Research shows soldiers with four or more deployments are more likely to struggle.
? Bottling It Up: The military expects you to be tough, so admitting youre hurting feels like letting everyone down. Being far from family just makes the loneliness worse.
? Toxic Culture: Some units foster a vibe where crude behavior and power trips go unchecked, leaving soldiers like Eve feeling unsafe even among their own.
Eve faced it all.
Deployed during the Gulf War, she juggled her husbands heart surgery and her moms illness while trying to do her job.
But the real pain came from her unit, where harassment and assault shattered her trust, proving the enemy can be closer than you think.
Eves Nightmare: From Assault to Fighting Back
Eves time in the Army Reserve was nothing like the teamwork she learned in basic training.
Her story is considered unique; however, other cases may have other types of incidences.
Her unit was a disaster, with soldiers getting drunk, acting like idiots, and crossing lines they had no business crossing.
The nonstop crude, disgusting comments from guys in her unit were so vile they made her want to throw up, making her feel less like a soldier and more like prey.
These male soldiers treated a female soldier, maybe not all females, like some sex toy. Even a woman should never be treated this way.
An officer sexually assaulted, and attacked her, pinning her in a moment of pure terror.
She fought him off and got away, but the fear stuck with her.
Telling her leaders about it felt like walking into a trap. Her gut was right; they brushed it off, acting like she was the problem.
The weeks after were hell.
Someone shot her dog to scare her into shutting up.
Her phone rang every night with calls spitting nasty, threatening words that made her sick.
A close friend died, and the loneliness hit like a punch.
Eve didnt fall into depression but became angrier as well as not trusting and fearful. Her world felt like it was collapsing, and she stayed numb for years, but had to regain herself back mostly by herself.
But Eve didnt quit.
A decent NCO in the barracks actually listened, giving her a spark of hope.
When she experienced this, there were no support groups, other than seeing a VA doctor and close friends.
She hesitated at first, burned by the systems betrayal, but his support pushed her to keep fighting.
She started reaching out to groups that help survivors of military sexual trauma, finding people who understood her pain.
That connection gave her the strength to speak up, not just for herself but for everyone the system let down.
She learned her voice could make a difference, even when it felt like the odds were stacked against her.
What the Research Shows
Studies back up Eves story.
The National Center for PTSD says veterans who go through MST are way more likely to deal with PTSD or depression.
A study found that nearly half of the troops with PTSD are still struggling years later, showing how it lingers.
Leaving the military doesnt make it easier. Veterans often feel lost without the structure and purpose they had, which can make depression worse.
Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a PTSD expert, puts it straight: Soldiers are taught to be tough, but that can keep them from facing their pain.
Military culture itself can be a problem.
For women like Eve, the added layer of gender-based harassment makes it even harder to feel safe.
Research shows that units with weak leadership or a culture that tolerates bad behavior see higher rates of mental health issues, especially among women, who often face hostility in male-dominated spaces.
Experts Speak Out
People who study this stuff say the military needs to do better.
Dr. Paula Schnurr from the VAs PTSD center says, You can treat PTSD, but youve got to get help early.
The problem is that asking for help in the military feels like admitting youre not cut out for it.
Dr. Charles Hoge, a psychiatrist at Walter Reed, wants that to change: We need to make getting help feel like something strong people do.
Eves story shows why this is so urgent.
Her leaders ignored her assault, acting like the Armys image mattered more than her pain.
Survivors like Eve are pushing for a military where people are heard, where respect isnt just a word but a reality.
They want leaders who stand up for whats right, not ones who sweep problems under the rug.
Secrets of the Uniform
Eve Fusselmans story is tough to hear, but its also about finding strength when everythings falling apart.
In her book, Secrets of the Uniform, she spills it all: the assault, the threats, the anger, fear, and distrust that nearly broke her.
She doesnt hold back, laying bare the pain of her darkest days and the betrayal she felt from the system she trusted.
That raw honesty helps her heal, letting her make sense of the chaos and find a path forward.
It also gives others the courage to speak up, showing them theyre not alone in their struggles.
The book is a loud call to fix the militarys problems, demanding a culture where soldiers feel safe and valued, not silenced or scared.
Eves words have reached countless survivors, sparking conversations at rallies, support groups, and even in military circles.
Her fight shows that even after the worst days, you can find power in standing with others, turning personal pain into a push for change.
By sharing her story, shes not just healing herself, shes lighting a fire for a future where no one has to endure what she did.
