Af Case Study

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been studied extensively. The majority of the population has experienced an event that was traumatic enough to potentially cause Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with it also being common for most people to experience more than one event with the potential to induce Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Kilpatrick, Resnick, Milanak, Miller, Keyes, Friedman, 2013). Studies have shown that veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder show an escalation in the anxiety levels that is much greater than soldiers that have not been diagnosed with PTSD as well as higher than the general fit population (Olatunji, Armstrong, Fan, & Zhao, 2014).

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (commonly known as PTSD) is an important issue associated with military soldiers. The primary focus of this paper will be on the causes of PTSD and the effects it has on returning soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will attempt to elaborate on the soldiers' experiences through my own experiences in combat both in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will explain what PTSD is, look at the history of PTSD, how people get it, and differences of PTSD between men and women, and treatment options.

Intervention strategies that are best suited for veterans when a social support from other soldiers, friends and family members. The family council will help strength the family bond and relationship satisfaction, and lower divorce rates than individual treatment. “Crisis counselors can refer clients to marital counselors or provide it themselves for increased treatment effectiveness” (Kanel

(1) “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder than can develop after a person witnesses a traumatic event. A traumatic event can take many forms; a natural disaster, sexual abuse or a terrorist attack such as 9/11, but for veterans, PTSD is most often related to combat or military exposure. In wars prior to Vietnam, the disorder was referred to as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue” and was not very well understood beyond the fact that it limited the soldier’s performance on the battlefield. Today, the disorder is more widely studied. We know that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can lead to other mental health problems such as depression, social withdrawal, and substance abuse.” This disorder is such a heavy price to pay for our soldiers. Many come home and can not function in normal society and never really get the help they need to cope with their problems. Many more soldiers suffer in silence and never even tell anyone that they may have these issues because so many of them feel they are ‘macho’ and can handle it alone, but the truth is that they simply can

Soldiers from combat missions face a variety of challenges when conforming to a civilian lifestyle. The fact that there are many of the identification issues and the influence of the environment, soldiers tend to exhibit Post-Traumatic stress disorders. The manifestation of the Post-Traumatic disorder PTSD leads to the development of traumatic brain syndrome and other problems. Service men and women have taken part in many war missions, and a number of them return from mission with mental health problems. Through the years, the USA military has conducted a lot of studies and clinical trials on the influence of Post-Traumatic stress disorder on men and women in service. The aim of these studies is to prevent the development of the disorders in adult populations. Populations of these studies include patients in treatment or those already treated in DOD hospitals. The clinical setting is conducive for the study and health professionals abide to some guidelines (Mulhall, 1998).

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively new name for a condition that has bedeviled veterans of the military service members throughout the history of warfare. It has taken people around the world, especially within the military branches an exceptionally long time to understand and face the reality of a growing epidemic known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The best and ideal starting point to understand PTSD would be by raising the question, what is PTSD? According to physiological explanation PTSD is an anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which severe physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or unnatural disaster, accidents or military combat.

Mental health illness is a major issue that several United States systems faces daily. Mental illness can contribute to high crime rates, suicide, drug addiction, mass shootings, prison overcrowding, and several other problems. This paper will discuss and examine mental health issues as it develops and result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the United States Military, and specifically how PTSD can result in suicide among military service members. PTSD is commonly and well known to infantry soldiers who were mostly deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq war between 2001 and 2003 due to an overwhelming and challenging environment. The war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq conflicts, both have had a an actual impact on soldiers' mental health. In addition, infantrymen are most likely to experience at least one event as a minimum that may result in PTSD than any other divisions in the military. According to Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Major Gary Wynn provides statistics shows that "93 percent report coming under fire from artillery, rockets, and mortars. 91 percent say their unit has been attacked or ambushed. 87 percent say they know someone who has been seriously injured or killed" (Robson 2012).

Post-traumatic stress disorder, better known as PTSD, is steadily becoming a more relevant topic of conversation in our society today. Recently this disorder has received a lot of attention due to the conflicts our military personnel are currently engaged in around the world. Another event that brought PTSD to forefront were the tragedies of 9/11. PTSD is one of the rare disorders that are a direct result of an outside traumatic event. Make no mistake about it, PTSD might be a relatively newly diagnosed disorder, but it has been around for many years. Our military servicemen had reported these conditions for many years before, now we finally have a It is an unfortunate truth that many people in our society are involved in traumatic

There are over 20 million veterans who have served their country in the U.S. Fortunately, there are many helpful programs that offer a variety of services and benefits to help veterans permanently adjust to civilian life.

Our country’s soldiers protect us at all costs despite the danger that it places them in. They’re placed under constant stress and exposed to situations that the average person wouldn’t experience during their lifetime. While some soldiers may come out of combat physically unscathed, their risk of being affected by the time that they served does not simply disappear once they take off their uniforms. Due to the traumatic experiences that soldiers are exposed to they often suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Posttraumatic stress disorder is a condition triggered by a traumatic event specifically for veterans, combat exposure.

One group of people at risk for developing PTSD are those who have experienced military combat. Although it is difficult to provide a definitive number of veterans with current PTSD, the following data provide some insight into prevalence rates. Hoge et al. (2004) assessed Army combat troops for PTSD one month prior to deployment and four months postdeployment. Marine Corps combat troops were also assessed for PTSD, however, this group was only assessed for PTSD after deployment. Their data estimated prevalence of PTSD for the Army study group before deployment to Iraq to be at 9% and after deployment to Iraq at 18%. The researchers also provided data for Afghanistan post deployment rates of PTSD for the Army group to be at 11.5%. Additionally,

In a qualitative research article titled, “Resilience and Knowledge of PTSD Symptoms in Military Spouses. Awareness of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) extends the criteria for a diagnosis increase, additional cases are being disclosed among U.S. military veterans. Since the attack on September 11th on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, more than two million troops have been deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Included in the two million troops, it is roughly calculated that over 800,000 troops have seen the battlefield at least two times if not more throughout the years which they have served time of service. From results of many conflicts being fought by the United

Roughly two million troops have been deployed to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 2001. Current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a number of investigations examining the post deployment mental health among military personnel serving in these regions. The primary focus of research on returning veteran has been on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), specifically on the etiology, preventative measures, and treatment of PTSD. Some of the risk factors for military members to develop PTSD include: combat experience, being wounded, witnessing death, serving on graves registration duty or handling human remains, being captured or tortured, being exposed to unpredictable and uncontrollable stress, and experiencing sexual harassment or assault (Institute of Medicine,

PTSD or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a growing concern with our returning soldiers. As technology is advancing, battles are becoming more and more gruesome. The scars from defending your country are not only physical. Some scars may not be visible, but are even more dangerous. The trauma imbedded in these men and women’s heads will cause pain for them and their entire family.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), triggered by exposure to a traumatic event, is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent nightmares or flashbacks, avoiding reminders/recounting the event, distorted mental processes or emotional numbing, and a persistently high state of arousal and reactivity (Institute of Medicine , 2014). While this mental disorder does appear in society as a whole, its prevalence in the U.S. military is cause for concern. Cited as the “most commonly identified psychological clinical disorder stemming from the war” (PTSD May Be Greatest Injury of War Today, 2008), in 2012, 5.2% of all service members were diagnosed with PTSD, while 8.0% of all previously deployed service members received the diagnosis (Institute of Medicine , 2014). Experiencing trauma caused by combat exposure is a relatively normal occurrence within today’s military. Nonetheless, not all soldiers will be diagnosed with or experience the side effects of PTSD. Physicians are unsure why some individuals develop PTSD over others; however, it is believed that a mix of interrelated elements can increase the probability that exposure to a traumatic event will result in the disorder, such as inherited mental health risks and personality factors, previous life experiences and an individual’s unique chemical response(s) to stress (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Due to its prevalence in the military community, human service professionals (HSPs) should expect to come in contact with