Military PTSD

A Silent War; The Reality of Military PTSD Louisa Rodriguez awoke to her partner Simon crying out: this awful, blood-curdling scream. “Suddenly he was back in the war zone with a gun in his hand and a woman in front of him, covered in blood. He squeezed her hand tightly and wouldn’t let go until morning. She recalled thinking, ‘By day he’s my brave ex-soldier; but by night, who is this man?’” (Howard). Soldiers fight for this country and sacrifice their lives for the rest of the nation, but when they come home, there is no relief from the pain of war. There is not enough help from the VA and they are left to manage their horrible nightmares and terrible struggles alone. Families are heavily impacted and can experience guilt or avoidance of

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. The diagnosis of PTSD is relatively recent and has only begun to gain more recognition following the most recent war and combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Veterans are usually very hesitant to admit their symptoms of PTSD because they are soldiers who have been taught to tough it out and work through discomfort in order to reach challenging goals and continue on with their lives. However, PTSD is not very forgiving and instead of being obvious soon after their return from combat, it tends to creep up on veterans slowly as time continues on. Not only is the veteran plagued daily by memories and flashbacks of the traumatic events of war, but so is his or her family and even though their loved one has returned, it is obvious that the individual’s ability to function in everyday life has been

It begins with an event in which the individual is threatened with his or her own death or the destruction of a body part, to such humiliation that their personal identity may be lost. Vietnam veterans who experience PTSD have a feeling of helplessness, worthlessness, dejection, anger, depression, insomnia, and a tendency to react to tense situations by using survival tactics. Combat experience remains the variable most often linked to PTSD among Vietnam veterans.” These thoughts and flashbacks continue to push veterans farther from finding their place in society