Personal Narrative: My Personal Experiences Of Coping With PTSD

Over the last 6 years I worked with Veterans that have been diagnosed with PTSD. I have seen symptoms of this diagnosis play out in a variety ways. This experience has only fueled my passion to want to become more educated and experienced on the topic so that I can better service to Veterans. I also believe that becoming better educated on the topic will allow me to dispel some of the myths associated with PTSD. As discussed in class, before the accept into the DSM-3 in 1980 service member that experienced symptoms of PTSD were seen as unfit to handle the psychological casualties that came with the War. They were often viewed as weak and were forced back on the battlefield despite showing clear indicators that the fatigue that comes along with battle had begun to affect their daily lives. After the mainstream acceptance of PTSD in 1980 many active duty service members and Veterans still had a hard time proving to the VSA that they were indeed suffering from PTSD. Over time there has been a mainstream acceptance that many Veterans as well as other populations may suffer from PTSD. The mainstream acceptance of PTSD has the ability to offer hope to those that are affected by the

Soon after moving to the storage unit, my doctor diagnosed me with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I felt intense anxiety and panic attacks because of the political persecution, financial status, bullying, and struggle with my sexual orientation. Throughout this ordeal, I denied my identity as a lesbian and hid it from my mother to not place more burdens on her during our transition to the U.S. I resorted to my Catholic faith to overcome my adversities, while suicidal thoughts plagued me. Eventually, my mother sold her business for less than the appraised value in September 2010. After relocating to a small apartment in 2011, our obstacles reduced. Nevertheless, I received devastating news of a friend’s assassination in Venezuela on

“My mind is on fire as I fear that any second, another enemy round will rip into my body and finish me off” (Johnson 2). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) effects the lives of many soldiers after returning home from war. PTSD is a psychiatric condition described in the DSM-IV as, a condition that requires a specific event to have occurred as a criterion for the diagnosis. The criteria for this disorder, according to the book Combat Trauma, can include flashbacks, times where you feel as if you are reliving the traumatic event, shame or guilt, upsetting dreams about the traumatic event, trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, feeling emotionally numb or not feeling at all, anger or irritability, poor or destructive relationships, self-destructive behavior, trouble sleeping, memory problems, hallucinations, not enjoying activities you one enjoyed and feeling as if you no longer know who is living your day-to-day life.

PTSD is a disorder that is developed after witnessing life threatening events. These events can range from natural disasters to any type of assault in any point in your life. With this mental health condition comes to a series or nightmares, jumping at small noises, reoccurring memories, depression, and anger. Symptoms usually don't often show up for a few months or years after the terrifying event. But once they start, it's a difficult mindset to retreat from. This specific disorder can it harder for one to be engaged in liked activities such as going to work, walking your dog, exercising, or even leaving the house. Many veterans may feel the need to constantly be on guard (What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Battling war is something a Veteran knows all too well, but battling the demons in their mind after the war is something that they have to learn how to cope with. One of the most mentioned issues that Veterans face today is a disorder called combat post-traumatic stress disorder. Combat PTSD can easily be defined as a disorder that affects the mental state of the armed forces service member that has been through a difficult or shocking experience during their time served in the military. Experiencing war is not something that everyone can relate to, but it is something that can affect a

Every American soldier endured rigorous training to become the soldier they are today, but throughout all this training, there are a few things that a soldier can't simply learn. Training and development is treated as preparation for war situations, and much like ordinary grade school, they are tested to see how well each soldier does in each area (Huerta, 2014). Even after all this organizing and teaching, a soldier's mind is still just as human as it was before seeing action in battle. Once a soldier learns to control every situation imaginable, they are sent overseas to put all their training to use; but simulations can only get you so far. At some point, there is a moment when a

Focus! The burden of destructive emotions constantly tarnishes my brain. It is essential that I isolate myself from the pessimistic chain of thoughts. I need to distort myself from the daily trauma and everlasting misery that I encounter. The turmoil has left me forever fatigued and has numbed my mind. My heart is grazed and broken with regret, my soul is haunted by fear and guilt along with my body diseased and rotten. The experience has been morbid and excruciating, I can’t tolerate this anymore.

Many veterans who have been through war and experienced the gruesome nature of it come back to civilian life as a whole different person. Once they have returned, it is extremely difficult for them to function normally and go back to the way they used to be. One adjustment issue that individuals with PTSD struggle with is having this unrestrained feeling of being on edge that occurs spontaneously. As a soldier, these people were trained to always be on guard, fully alert, and be ready to pull the trigger during combat. As a result, some of these individuals develop a violent and agitated behavior, which is very hard for them to control. Furthermore, many veterans with PTSD have flashbacks of the horrors of warfare and have constant nightmares

"Not long ago, most therapists who heard a story like Albert Grow's would have thought about what his experience in Vietnam did to his relationship with his family, his community and his sense of self. Few would have given much thought to what it did to his biochemistry. That is about to change. Grow, a policeman in Salem, New Hampshire, came back from Vietnam nearly 30 years ago on a "freezer flight"--a transport plane piled with body bags. At the Boston airport, a woman called him trash and spit in his face. Not long afterward, he punched out two coworkers in a photo lab because they wore black arm bands to honor the Vietnamese dead. After a brief stay on a psychiatric ward, he burned his Marine uniform in his parents' backyard. He avoided

Additionally, I am an avid supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and other veteran-aimed charitable organizations. Through volunteering and endorsing these organizations, I have gained a deeper knowledge of just how much PTSD actually changes life for a person. Finally, this particular season encouraged me to write about this particular topic. As we approach Independence Day, we often start setting off fireworks days, even weeks, in advance of the actual date. Fortunately, more awareness is being brought to this issue, but people still tend to forget to be courteous with the way they set off fireworks late at night and days in advance without warning.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) is a turmoil that happens in individuals who have endured a traumatic occasion. For example, sexual mishandle, characteristic catastrophes, war, and so forth. These individuals then experience three unique sorts of indications; the first is called re-encountering where they remember the occasion through bad dreams, flashbacks and terrible contemplations. At that point there 's the second arrangement of manifestations which are called evasion indications where they do things like keeping away from a range where the occasion happened or some place that helps them to remember that occasion, getting a solid feeling of blame, dejection, stress or turning out to be candidly numb, not having the capacity to recall the occasion or losing enthusiasm for things that they once appreciated doing. At that point there is the third arrangement of side effects called hyperarousal manifestations which incorporate having irate upheavals, inconvenience dozing, being effortlessly startled and feeling tense ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" 1). PTSD can happen in anybody and it is something that is turning into a noteworthy issue in today 's general public with the Iraq/Afghanistan wars that have been going ahead since 2001. There has been a considerable measure of research done on it to demonstrate that PTSD is very and that it is influencing increasingly individuals, particularly war veterans, and going untreated. Audit of Research:

PTSD is a psychological disorder that develops in people who have seen, lived, or imagined a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. PTSD is most prevalent in military soldiers who have been involved with war and have saw death or been in fear for their life. It can also take place in people who have been in a bad car accident or other situation where they “saw their life flash before their eyes.” Some cases of PTSD actually never occur to an individual but reoccurring dreams have caused the individual to be in constant fear. CAPS is the gold standard for PTSD assessment. This is a 30-item structured interview that can diagnose PTSD and the severities. According to the Cap-5 scale, there are 4 severities of PTSD. 0 is absent, the individual denies reports of having this disease and no evidence shows that there is any issues. 1 is mild, the respondent responds to an issue but the symptom criteria isn’t significant enough to consider is a clinical disease. 2 is moderate, the respondent has a clinically significant problem and could be a target for intervention. This rating requires a minimum of 2 times for the flashbacks to occur and a minimum intensity of clearly present. 3 is severe, the problem is above threshold and it is overwhelming. The individual would likely need intervention. The issue occurs at least 2 times a week and the minimum intensity is pronounced. 4 is extreme, the problem is pervasive, unmanageable, and the individual needs intervention immediately.

I joined the Marine Corps looking for a challenge. I wanted to open doors for a new career and longed to have a positive impact on the world around me. Looking back five years later, I realize I found all that I originally sought, but I’ve also found something profoundly satisfying and meaningful that I never knew I was missing.

True Self-Improvement, Overcoming Fear and the Special Nature of Adrenal Memories And Its Relationship To Understanding PTSD (Part One)

According to a Tanielian and Jaycox (2008) study, as of September 2014 there were approximately 2.7 million American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars”. Of the 2.7 million at least 20% of the veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan wars obtained PTSD and/or depression. However, it was noted that when interviewed, the military counselors stated that they believe that the percentage rate of veterans with PTSD was much higher. The number is said to continue to increase when combined with traumatic brain injury (TBI).