Published Monday, 05 December 2011
The cost of treating PTSD in the region is about £175m every year, with £46m being spent directly on helping those with problems linked to the Troubles.
Almost 40% of people questioned have experienced a conflict-related traumatic experience.
The findings are contained in a major new report by the Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Well, based at the University of Ulster and the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation (NICTT).
The study involved more than 30 countries, including nations with a recent history of civil conflict.
It found that two-thirds of adults in Northern Ireland had experienced one or more traumatic events.
Based on 2008 as a sample year, the indirect cost of dealing with trauma was £139m - whilst £33m was spent on direct costs such as family doctors and other health services and prescribed medication.
Finola Ferry, a research associate at the Bamford Centre, said: "This is the first ever economic cost-of-illness study to focus on PTSD."
"It reveals that PTSD and other disorders associated with trauma represent a significant public health burden here, with economic implications right across society that stretch far into the future."