Ptsd In Returning Home

The worst part of war or any traumatic situation is PTSD, and over 3.5% of all American adults are experiencing this. PTSD is one of the well-known effects of war that can also be caused by major trauma incidents such as witnessing death. This can cause depression, anxiety, trouble with relationships, substance abuse, and many other horrible symptoms. War is the biggest cause of this stress disorder, and it is mostly affecting veterans. “PTSD is also more common after experiencing certain types of trauma, like combat.” (Department of Veterans

I find it troubling that our Soldier’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms are being discredited by the medical community. It appears as though there has been a shift in our commitment to the health of the men and women who served this nation. These ideas connect to the overall ideas of the unit because it provides greater insight on challenges that patients and medical professionals experience when coping with cognitive health concerns. I do not have any personal experience associated with PTSD; however, the problem that I find in this article is that it suggests the effects of trauma which causes PTSD can be measured by a universal criteria. For example, I believe this research should consider that each individual has a unique level of tolerance to trauma which may cause them to respond in varying degrees of severity. Additionally, a patient’s inability to accurately express their symptoms may play a major factor which is causing this disparity. I recommend that further research should be conducted to

P.T.S.D. a commonly known disorder, that has harmed soldiers in combat over the last century. A 2015 study by Ashley Hayes, found that PTSD it is not only affecting returning veterans. Further it is veterans, that are becoming a rising concern to society. Hayes implies, people who have served In the military and or Iraq, are “returning home changed men”. The exposure to trauma leading to these symptoms is no surprise, as much severity has proven ptsd when people come face to face with life altering events.

As we learn more about the cause and effect of PTSD we can better equip ourselves to help those in need. It is a process that has a clear beginning but an unclear ending. A person who can function normally for many years after seeing combat may find it increasingly difficult to sit in a classroom day after day. With raising awareness on not only the severity but the scope of impact of mental health disorders it can eliminate the stigma of weakness and get these men and women who have put themselves second much of their lives the help they

PTSD is only now being recognized as a legitimate disease. When symptoms, of what is now PTSD, began showing up on the battlefields in the 1800’s, doctors of the military had “begun to diagnose soldiers with ‘exhaustion’” (Eagan,p. 360). Medicine of the time was about physical disorders. Doctors paid little to no attention to the enigmatic field of mind-body medicine. “Exhaustion” was the diagnosis of a “mental shutdown” caused by trauma (Eagan,p. 360). Diagnosing soldiers with ‘exhaustion’ was the military’s and

Another interesting factor that has affected the prevalence of PTSD in returning veterans is the difference in the demographic constituency of American veterans across these wars. The first demographic factor worth noting is that of gender. Statistically speaking, there were far fewer women enlisted during the Vietnam War, than in the Gulf War and OIF. Less than one percent of the soldiers were women in the Vietnam War in comparison to the Gulf War where women made up 8.1 percent and 12.1 percent in OIF ("Vietnam War Statistics") ("Public Health").

In the United States (US) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 8 out of every 100 persons (United States Department of Veterans Affairs [USDVA], 2015). In which account for about 8 million people that include the military veterans (USDVA, 2015). About 10% of women and 4% of men will develop PTSD during some course of their lives (USDVA, 2015). Veterans are more susceptible to PTSD due to longer exposures to trauma, danger, or witness a violent life threaten incidence during their military service periods (USDVA, 2015). The development of PTSD becomes chronic after no longer seeing or under the “fight-or-flight“ experiences causing a psychological and/ or mental breakdown (National Institutes of Health [NIH], n.d). Such

With the advances in technology and military medicine, improved amounts of armed veterans are surviving the injuries they endure at war. These brave men and woman are faced to enter the civilian life after enduring the things that they cannot remove form their memories. Posttraumatic stress disorder is a common psychological and physiological consequence of deployment for combat in military veterans. For an individual to be diagnosed of PTSD, the person had to have been exposed to an intense traumatic situation, which resulted in terror or helplessness and continue to re-experience the event for at least a month (World Health Organization). It can be very difficult for a military personal to return from active duty with the mindset that

In the past, veterans who disclosed suffering from signs of PTSD encountered a great deal of ignorance and bias. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (n.d.), veterans who had the illness were often considered weak, were rejected by comrades, and even faced discharge from military service. In fact, even physicians and mental health specialists often questioned the existence of the disease, which of course led to society’s misconception of PTSD in general. Sadly because of this existing prejudice it appears even today soldiers are still worried to admit having PTSD symptoms, and therefore they do not receive the proper support they need. While individuals are assured that their careers will not be affected, and seeking help is encouraged, most soldiers see it as a failure to admit having a mental health illness (Zoroya, 2013). Educating military personal of this illness, and making sure no blame is put on the veterans who encounter this disease is therefore vital.

PTSD wasn’t a particularly large issue until after the Vietnam War; even though there were cases of “shell-shock” or “nostalgia” after WWI. In more ways than one, the homecoming of the Vietnam veteran has become “the last battleground of the war”. Many have reported being harmed with physical and emotion consequences of the war. Seeing your allies fall beside you leaves a lasting toll on your mentality. With this being one of the bloodiest wars in American history, there is no shortage of bad memories. (“Coming”

Even with the great stories that intrigue or excite many people, there are some long term effects that war veterans suffer. One of the major effects is Post-Traumatic Street Disorder (PTSD). The reality of the soldiers who experience the war is to live with PTSD and find ways to overcome this disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder causes high levels of anxiety which causes the person

One thing we know is that [today's] veteran, more than any other, has a much higher likelihood of actually being in combat. This war is everywhere, in the streets; there is no safe place. Vietnam, there were there at least some safe places, relatively safe places that you could be. In Iraq, there is no safe place. Thus, veterans who are coming home will have been on peak alert for 365 days or more, this will have caused all of their senses tuned to the slightest disturbance, the slightest sound of trouble. There is a greater prevalence of people who have had bad things happen, who have seen combat, who have been in combat, who have lost people close to them, who have had the guy standing next to them blown up, the person in the Humvee

When soldiers get deployed the main goal is for them to complete their duties and make it back to home just like they left. Getting back home in one piece includes what is inside as well, the brain. The complex system that runs everything from your emotions, anxiety, optimism, pain management and impulse control is shaken up by extreme experiences like exposure to death or dreadful experiences. War veterans may experience flashbacks, nightmares, intense anxiety, panic attacks, depression and self-destructive thoughts or actions long after the trauma has occurred. The cause of this is because the neural pathways in the brain have actually been damaged and transformed by that experience, this is called Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can certainly have a negative effect on a returning service member’s life. Approximately 30% of people who have been in war zones develop PTSD. The rates of PTSD for veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are conservatively estimated to be 11% and 18% respectively, with a higher rate for veterans of the war in Iraq because of greater combat exposure (Collie, 2006, p.1). Because of the debilitating affect of the disorder many veterans are trapped in this endless seeming cycle agony and helplessness. Individuals with PTSD describe years of declining invitations to social and family events to avoid anxiety and anger. In extreme cases, individuals endorse fear and discomfort about leaving the house at all, which they characterize as shameful and demoralizing. Thus, many individuals with PTSD perceive themselves as trapped in a cycle that reinforces avoidance of situations, which may trigger anxiety and depression (Smyth, 2007, p.1).

PTSD is a mental health condition many soldiers who were involved in combat experience. This condition is triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. The symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety, as well uncontrollable thoughts about the event; it’s also the number one cause of veteran suicide. A Vietnam War veteran named Burk, stated those who have had experience with applying for PTSD benefits application said “ you have to relive [the traumatic event], write it down and then deal with the bureaucracy. Most guys can’t withstand that” (qtd. 979). In history classes, one learns that battle in war can be a living hell on earth, that no one should have to experience. Veterans, who have had gone to war and came home with a mental illness, have to dig deep into their nightmares they suppress to be able to file the claim. Even though veterans are being forced to remember in painful memories, the claims are not always accepted. “In 2005, the VA sought to review 72,000 cases of claims for PTSD because it felt that 2.5% of them were fraudulent. The VA suspended the review after a sampling of 2100 were reviewed with few discrepancies found” (English & Marlanda). VA agents rejected veterans’ claim without knowing the painful experiences they had gone through in war because they felt most of them were