What is Financial PTSD For Caterpillar Employees?

For any of our clients from Caterpillar who had assets invested in the stock market in 2008, odds are, you experienced post-traumatic stress following the market collapse and succeeding crisis.

When we think about post-traumatic stress disorder, we typically envision combat, tornadoes, and hurricanes. But we'd like to remind our Caterpillar clients that PTSD is not limited to life-threatening events. Events threatening financial security (and even career security) can be very traumatic.

'PTSD is not limited to life-threatening events. Events threatening financial security (and even career security) can be very traumatic.'

 

A study reported in the Oxford Health & Social Work Journal examined the risk of PTSD associated with sudden and dramatic personal financial loss.  The authors conducted a survey of 173 Madoff victims and found that 58% met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis, 61% acknowledged high levels of anxiety, 58% were depressed and 34% had health-related issues. Moreover, 90% of these victims felt a substantial loss of confidence in any financial institutions.

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We know from Dr. Abraham Maslow that when people have their security threatened through any event, all of their confidence and self-esteem can be destroyed, and they then focus all of their attention on searching for recovery.