For those of you that may not know, June is national PTSD Awareness month. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are currently around 8 million people in the U.S. with PTSD.
PTSD or posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental health problem that anyone can get. It arises from witnessing or being involved in a traumatic event, like a natural disaster, life-threatening event or assault.
Symptoms of PTSD include:
- Reliving the event- having triggers that can make you feel like you are right in the middle of the event, or nightmares or flashbacks.
- Consistently avoiding certain situations- not being around crowds, people that remind you of the event or even keeping busy to avoid discussing or even thinking about the event.
- Negative changes in beliefs- becoming paranoid, avoiding relationships or your feelings toward others may change.
- Feeling worked up- this is called hyperarousal. This is described as being on alert constantly or jittery. Someone with PTSD can also have major mood swings, becoming angry or irritable.
The good news is, there are things you can do to help with PTSD. The two most common treatments are psychotherapy and medication.
PTSD has a stigma surrounding it, especially when it comes to veterans. The problem is, PTSD isn’t something that will just go away on it’s own without any help. It’s a disorder that can’t be stopped or solved through pure willpower, it’s beyond the persons control. For someone in the military, who has been through and conquered a lot, that might be a hard idea to accept.
