How Does PTSD Affect A Person's Life

PTSD and suicide are two things that are very common among veterans in the U.S.. A recent study has shown that there are a much as 8,000 veteran suicides a

This paper explores post-traumatic stress and how it is seen as a disorder. Post-traumatic stress can manifest into post-traumatic stress disorder. The evaluation and review books and articles seem to reveal a relation to these symptoms and military member, either active or non-active veterans. These symptoms do not manifest strictly into the full-extent of the disorder in all cases of military, however, things such as depression and other physical symptoms are discussed through the readings. The end result is that we discovered that through the readings PTSD will in fact lead to suicide if left untreated.

There are an alarming number of veterans who suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. The suicide rate on returning veterans is on the rise. In California, service members were killing themselves and family members at an alarming rate. After an investigation, it was apparent that they do not have enough properly trained individuals to over see

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event. PTSD and depression are the two most common mental health problems faced by returning troops. “In about 11 to 20% of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.. Have been diagnosed with PTSD,” (War Casualties). War obviously takes a toll on veterans in numerous ways. Varying from physically to mentally. Not all of them develop problems but a noticeable amount have been diagnosed. There are veterans or active duty soldiers that return home who don’t seek treatment due to the fact they feel alone. PTSD can be life threatening if it is not treated. Returning home and trying to adjust to

However, war does seem to be the major problem with veteran suicide, which is where PTSD comes from. To elaborate, men and woman go to war zones, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, or Pakistan, and fight with the Middle Eastern cultures. While doing so, these men and woman tend to fight for, not only Americas freedom, but also their lives and the lives around them. Therefore, on many occasions, these men and woman are forced to kill anyone that shows threat to America’s military members. Also, when in a firefight, those men and woman have to attempt to save the lives of the people around them from gunshot wounds, IED wounds, and many other attack defenses from the enemy of war. Therefore, war is the cause of PTSD, which seems to be the number one cause of veteran suicide.

An American novelist wrote, “That is what death is like. It doesn’t matter what uniforms the soldiers are wearing. It doesn’t matter how good the weapons are. I thought if everyone could see what I saw, we would never have war anymore” (Jonathan Safran Foer). According to The National Center for PTSD, VA Medical Center, soldiers who have served in war the last fourteen years, 11-20% have Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is mostly caused by a significant emotional event during a war. I worked at the NATO Role III hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan when Pfc. Keith M. Williams died on the trauma table. Williams’ death affected everyone in the trauma room that day, however, even today it has caused me horrible anguish.

PTSD is a mental health problem that people can develop after experiencing or witnessing a severely traumatic event. Veterans can develop PTSD after returning home from the horrors of war. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares and other physical and psychological setbacks. This can lead to difficulties getting and keeping a job, and family or marital problems. The result is a downward spiral of substance abuse and depression. It is no surprise that the Department of Veterans Affairs has reported that 20 veterans commit suicide everyday. PTSD is an important issue in the veteran community, but not all veterans suffer from the disorder. Only about 11 to 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans actually suffer from

Studies have shown that 8,000 soldiers are thought to die by suicide every year, thats Twenty-two per day(Military Bonds)! A study has also shown that fourteen percent of men have contemplated suicide, while a little over five percent had planned it out and two and a half percent had actually attempted it one or more times. The rate of major depression is five times higher than that of an average American(Military Bonds). Post Traumatic Stress disorder is a mental health condition triggered by the result of seeing something terrifying, it makes the person experience emotional distress, loss of interest, guilt, the inability to feel pleasure they may become irritable, aggressive and may not be able to sleep at night(Veterans Statistics). PTSD can also make the person have thoughts of suicide or unwanted thoughts. PTSD can occur over time after being home from a deployment and a study shows that nine percent of military personnel have PTSD shortly after returning home from a deployment, but looking at the same troops a year later thirty-one percent had claimed to suffer from PTSD(Veterans Statistics). A study shows that between five and twenty percent have had PTSD prevalence without help, but fifty percent of people who seek help prevailing over the mental illness(Veterans Statistics) PTSD is the third most prevalent psychiatric

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a deeper mental problem than being anxious and jumpy. Veterans who have PTSD lose themselves as people. PTSD is one of the most common health issues among military personnel who served in a combat zone. When families have a loved one serving in combat zones, they fear that their soldier may not return home or will have a serious physical injury. But unlike the feared physical injuries, PTSD is not a visible wound, it is an injury of the mind. The PTSD will take a part of their loved one away, the veteran will not be at emotional or social. This disorder is an incurable mental condition caused by a traumatic event or events in person’s life. The soldiers who have PTSD have no way to get rid of

Post traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that is triggered by a horrific event, either witnessing it or experiencing it. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the events. - mayo clinic definition. Although soldiers may not have been hurt physically, they could be mentally wounded for life without treatment. After watching fellow fighters be blown to miniscule pieces, no one would be the same. Most veteran will lose their sanity due to PTSD, but are you really living when your mind is replaying everything horrible? These people are much like me and you, but they choose to fight knowing the risks of never being the same. Due to this mental health disorder several veterans commit suicide because of the lack of medical

Due to the events they have experienced, veterans are constantly reminded of what happened during their deployment. Simple things like a car tailing a veteran too close can trigger flashbacks to their tour which can cause harm to both the veteran and the public. In a 2010 survey conducted by the Naval Health Research Center (San Diego) funded by the Marine Corps, “1,543 Marines with at least one combat tour [finds] that Marines who had reported PTSD symptoms [are] more than six times as likely to engage in antisocial and aggressive behaviors than those who did not report PTSD symptoms” (Morris 2). This shows that after deployment the men who have PTSD or an illness like it can be easily triggered by the slightest factor, which could cause the veteran to harm himself or other people. Without proper treatment of these illnesses, the behaviors that sprout from them could easily harm others or the veteran himself. The result of not treating these illnesses properly are very common, and many people do not hear these events because of many news sources choose to never report on events like these. In 2013, PTSD was, “reportedly linked Monday to the man who allegedly killed 12 people at Washington Navy

War has shown a lot regarding the keen of combat stress. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines combat as a fight or contest between individuals or groups. The anxiety of combat can thrust combatants to their peripheral boundaries. The stress and engagement in combat can be very menacing. This anxiety may cause a variety of maladjusted practices from transgression to psychiatric responses. Negative response to this type of stress can result into transgression practices. The U.S. military is increasingly recognizing the multitude of the psychological consequences of serving in the military. For some people, exposure to trauma results in the development of psychological maladjustment in the form of posttraumatic stress disorder. Veterans returning from combat zones tent to meet the criteria for PTSD at rates significantly higher than what is observed in the general population.

People suffering from PTSD, have trouble functioning in their daily lives as a result of their trauma, they may experience; flashbacks or re-experiencing the event, anger, intense fear and feelings of hopelessness – which could lead to suicidal ideation, numbness or detachment from the experience, and a number of other symptoms, in various combinations. Also, family members of those suffering from PTSD may have their own bout with this condition as well, such as children and spouses of deployed service men and women.

One of the leading causes of death in the U.S. military today is suicide. According to an article written by Kristina Wong on ABC News, “More than 2000 of them [military personnel] have killed themselves in the past decade, including last year [2010] compared with 153 in 2001.” (Wong, 2011). The suicide rates vary from branch to branch, and most likely to occur in veterans and active duty members ranking from enlisted to officers. There are many stressors that play a big role as to why some military personnel commit or attempt suicide; some of these stressors are problems at home and at work, failed relationships within family members or fellow co-workers, financial problems, trauma effects of before and after deployment, alcohol and drug

An article from the Ocolly states that “…survivors have high rates of PTSD, depression, and drug and alcohol abuse.” (Hunter 1) All of these effects can cause for low success in school or work for the victims that can even lead to dropping out/quitting due to psychological distress. Victims are also at a higher risk of suicide and nearly 83% of a female and 35% of all male victims will experience some form of PTSD after their experience.