PTSD In Soldiers

Today, hundreds of thousands of service men and women and recent military veterans have seen combat. Many have been shot at, seen their buddies killed, or witnessed death up close. These are types of events that can lead to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic. “) Anyone that has gone through a traumatic event can be diagnosed with PTSD but research shows, military men and women are more susceptible to having PTSD (PTSD: A Growing Epidemic.) And, with little help from the US, many Veterans do not get the help they need or get treated for PTSD. Military men and women begin to

There have been many diagnoses of PTSD in American soldiers. As Mark Thomas said in a magazine article, “The National Academy of Sciences have report estimated that up to 20% of 2.6 million US men and women who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq may have it (PTSD)”(Thomas). This quote expresses that nearly 520,000 US families have been affected by this disorder. It also shows that PTSD has become a large enough issue that more and more people and

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individual's ability to cope. As an effect of psychological trauma, PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen acute stress response. Diagnostic

Once a soldier finishes his or her term of war and comes home for good doesn't mean they have truly returned from war. A soldier brings back home nothing but the haunting memories of war. This is the factor that continues to make living with PTSD so overwhelming. Veterans may say, "for me, there was no safe place, even my home" (Phillips, 2014). Insecurity is not the only aspect that overwhelms the mind, many other symptoms of the disease are just as horrific. "I couldn't close my eyes without envisioning the face of my attacker. I suffered horrific flashbacks and nightmares, and four years after the attack I was unable to sleep in my house alone" (Phillips, 2014). in cases like this, the effects of PTSD later find its ways to literally dictate the lives of veterans and many other victims.

About two years ago I moved from Italy to Bethesda, Maryland, with my husband. Since my husband was a patient at “Walter Reed National Military Medical Center”, I have been able to walk around the hospital and talking to patients and their relatives. I was astonished when I found out that a lot of patients were suffering from PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). I didn’t know a lot about this disorder, so I did some researches and I discovered that, according to Veterans statistics: PTSD, Depression, TBI, Suicide “at least 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or depression. Vietnam veterans also report high lifetime rates of PTSD ranging from 10% to 31%.” But the most alarming data is that “50% of those with PTSD do not seek treatment, while the half that seek treatment, only half of them get minimally adequate”(Veteran Statistic). Therefore, PTSD is a common disorder in USA, especially among veterans, so I believe that it should be more publicized in the public information, and I think that the Government should provide more help for people who are affected by this disorder. In “the Red Convertible” written by Louise Erdrich, we can find a good example of PTSD and the effect it has on Veterans and their families.

Although the symptoms had not yet been titled Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Vietnam had a lot to do with the classification of the psychological trauma on the human brain. The returning veterans were a heavy part of the process in

PTSD is not taken as seriously as it should be, and this has had detrimental effects on current and veteran soldiers that we do not fully understand.

Approximately 30% of men and 27% of women had PTSD at some point in their life following Vietnam.” In examining the mental health condition of Persian Gulf War veterans have found, “… rates of PTSD stemming from the war range anywhere from almost 9% to approximately 24%. “In Iraq Afghan War “After deployment, approximately 12.5% had PTSD, a rate greater than that found among these soldiers before deployment”.

At one end of the scale, is “the veteran as the superhero,” and at the other is the veteran as a person, “defined by post-traumatic stress, domestic violence, suicide, unemployment and homelessness” (548). Somewhere in the middle is the veteran whose story is not generating paper-selling sensationalism. These veterans are instead neighbors that are quietly living their day-to-day lives and will rarely be singled out. Haynie appeals to the media to exercise statistically balanced and impartial reporting “while shaping the public narrative, which the entire community of veterans will ultimately inherit” (548). In doing so, he believes the media will help to hinder the stigma linking military service, to mental illness, and

It is a well known fact that war is gruesome and changes those involved. We have all heard the stories of soldiers risking life and limb to protect our beliefs, but until recently we have believed that the scars of war were merely physical. While mental disorders like PTSD were debated shortly after World War II it was not diagnosed until around 1980. Even now, there is a plethora of other factors that contribute to the mental health of war veterans. These same factors are being ignored not only by the public and the medical professionals, but sometimes even the veterans themselves.

Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of

c. Preview: Today I will tell you how veterans suffer from Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD and cant get help, how veterans are homeless and why they are , and finally I will look at this from a soldiers point of view

"The PTSD Epidemic: Many Suffering, Few Solutions." Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://time.com/2904783/ptsd-iraq-va/>.

PTSD may not be diagnosed unless one of the four symptoms last for at least a month and causes significant distress or problems functioning day-to-day. Not being able to function normally may be induced by having intrusive thoughts due to the horrific things that a soldier has witnessed (Hall). Having intrusive thoughts may lead a person to be very unstable since they may enter the mind at any time, until they are controlled. Lack of paying attention is a huge problem for a person suffering from PTSD and this is caused because soldiers are trained to always be aware and on the lookout just in case of an emergency. Since they can’t be relaxed their thoughts are usually on the war zone situations. Last but not least social withdrawal is one of the final symptoms of PTSD. This meaning that troopers have a difficult time readjusting to civilian life after returning from the battlefield. They just do not feel like sharing their experiences might not be appropriate or simply they feel like no one can truly understand. As a result their thoughts become inward becoming shame which then turns into blame and the negative forces drives them deeper into PTSD (Redeeming

PTSD “Among male and female soldiers aged 18 years or older returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, rates range from 9%