War is a very trying time, but for many soldiers, when they return from the call of duty, they often find that they are left with many unsettling emotions. In fact, the rate of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is skyrocketing in our U.S. soldiers as they return from the battlefield. Often, readjusting to the normalcy of American life is difficult, and many soldiers find it is hard to blend in with their families again.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition where an individual, who has suffered a traumatic experience, continues to suffer from anxiety and fear as a result of the trauma they endured. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short is often associated with victims of rape, accidents, serious abuse, or even a surgery. However, combat veterans see it in a large scale. In fact, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder officially made it into the medical textbooks after countless Vietnam Veterans were diagnosed with the disorder.

One of the most disconcerting facts regarding PTSD is that it doesn’t necessarily have to occur immediately after the traumatic experience. Sometimes it may take up between six months to several years before symptoms appear. Some of the most common symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder include:

Feelings of despair; this is attributed to depression and is a direct response to the traumatic event Flashbacks from the traumatic event, these may be brought about by triggers, or events that make one remember the trauma.

Memories regarding the event may be overwhelming and feel as if the person is reliving the event Exaggerated emotional responses to triggers, this is in regards to the feeling that the event is happening Lack of emotions, likewise there may be emotional numbing or a shutting down of feelings of love, joy, and peace.

Feeling detached, this is also very common and the person dealing with PTSD may feel as if they are detached from the rest of the world, including their family members.

Hopelessness is a common feeling along with despair Nightmares, people dealing with traumatic events may find that they dream about the events repeatedly. This can cause for great anxiety and fear, and interrupts normal sleeping patterns.

Uncontrolled Anger may occur as people dealing with these events are on edge and dealing with overwhelming emotions
Loss of Interest in activities that one used to participate in. This is referred to as avoidance, and in an attempt to forget the traumatic experience, people may avoid anything that reminds them of the experience.

Irritability is a common symptom where people just don’t have a feeling of peace anymore. They may snap at others easily and have feelings of anger, aggression, or compulsive behaviors. There is also a symptom of people being on guard. They may feel the need to protect themselves so greatly that they startle easily and are always on “guard” mode.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you need to let someone know so that you may seek help. Counseling is available and the only way you can deal with the trauma of your life is to take the steps necessary to heal.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 10th, 2007 at 11:35 pm and is filed under General Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.