How To Fight A Losing Battle: PTSD

            Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has always been, and always will be an issue for soldiers until the end of time. It cannot only affect the mind, but also the body in ways that destroy you slowly, and could lead to suicide. This issue is not something to be taken nonchalantly, and is something that everybody should know about.  A major reason that you should know about this disorder is, you may have a family member or friend that is serving or has served in the armed forces and may have developed PTSD. This means that they could be depressed, become abusive, abuse substances, or even have flashbacks of being back overseas; this could be very dangerous to those around them who do not know the symptoms or signs of PTSD. The symptoms vary from person to person, and the list of symptoms seems never ending but this disorder can be treated.

            Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a chronic and disabling psychiatric disorder that may develop after exposure to a traumatic incident. Military personnel are the most at risk for experiencing traumatic events, so the development of PTSD would follow along with that.  This disorder causes many psychological and emotional problems, and could eventually lead to physical problems such as abuse. An estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, a major reason why people should be educated on this disorder.  There is always that chance that someone you know is a part of that 7.8 percent, and if you do not recognize the symptoms early on, it could progressively become worse.

            PTSD is a more common disorder than you might think, especially in those who have experienced being overseas serving for the armed forces. As stated previously around 7.8 Americans will experience PTSD.  About 30 percent of the men and women who have served in war zones experience PTSD. In addition to that, 20 to 25 percent more have had partial PTSD at some point in their lives. About 3.6 percent of U.S. adults from ages 18 to 54, which is about 5.2 million people, have PTSD during the course of a given year. This shows how prevalent this disorder can be even in citizens who have not seen a war zone. With this large of an amount of people it is the United States’ government’s responsibility to educate its citizens as well as its soldiers on PTSD, so that they know what they are going to be dealing with should they or someone they know experience it.

            PTSD is a disorder that can also lead to other disorders that differ between men and women. The co-occurring disorders most predominantly found in men are alcohol abuse or dependence at 51.9 percent, major depressive episodes at 47.9 percent, conduct disorders at 43.3 percent, and drug abuse and dependence at 34.5 percent. The co-occurring disorders most predominantly found in women are major depressive disorders at 48.5 percent, simple phobias at 29 percent, social phobias at 28.4 percent, and alcohol abuse/dependence at 27.9 percent. Headaches, gastrointestinal problems, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain, and discomfort in other parts of the body are also common in people being affected by PTSD; often doctors treat these symptoms without even realizing that they come from PTSD. If a medical doctor does not even realize that these things are coming from PTSD, who has to say that a person without a medical or psychological degree will? This is why people need to be informed of PTSD so they can recognize it and help their loved ones get treatment before their PTSD causes more issues in their lives.

            People that have heard of PTSD agree that it is a serious disorder and needs to be recognized; out of a conducted survey, 100 percent rated it from an eight to a nine on a scale of one to ten. A majority of people that took this survey also had family members in the military, 30 percent of those people have experienced some sort of PTSD at some point and 20-25 percent more has experienced some sort of partial PTSD. They also agreed that the government should be responsible for paying for the treatment of a soldier’s PTSD even after leaving active duty. People that took this survey, however, did not know the effects of PTSD, although they could pinpoint some of the main, most heard of symptoms. This further proves that people should be educated on PTSD and its symptoms.

            In a recent study of U.S. Army brigade combat teams, a high percentage of soldiers screening positive for PTSD and depression symptoms and also reported that symptoms made it difficult to work, take care of things at home, or get along with others. Studies have demonstrated that service members deployed for combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are at higher risk for developing mental health problems following their deployment at 17 percent compared to the 9 percent of predeployment, and that mental health symptoms general increase following a service members’ return home. Combat experience has been linked to an array of negative health consequences, mostly PTSD.

            PTSD is a serious issue that not many know the effects of, when in all reality they should. Headaches, gastrointestinal problems, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain, and discomfort in other parts of the body are also common in people being affected by PTSD and often doctors treat these not knowing that the source of them is PTSD. Around 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD in their life that is just how common it is. Imagine one of them being a family member returning from over-seas (keep in mind that 30 percent of the men and women who have spent time in warzones experience PTSD, and an additional 20 to 25 percent have had partial PTSD at some point). They suffer from Headaches, gastrointestinal problems, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain and discomfort in other places, you take them to the doctor and they treat them without checking to see if these symptoms have stemmed from PTSD. Now your loved ones PTSD progresses, they start to have flashbacks, nightmares, become depressed, rely on alcohol, become addicted to it, and become abusive. This all happened because you were not educated enough on PTSD to know that those are also symptoms of the disorder. That is exactly why you should be educated on this disorder so you can spot in its early stages before it progresses further into something that becomes out of control.

           

Works Cited

            Huey, Dillon. P.T.S.D: The Destruction of a Soldier. 2012. 5/19/2012

Military.com. n.d. 19 May 2012 <http://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/ptsd-frequently-asked-questions.html>.

Thomas, Jeffrey. "Dispositional Optimism Buffers Combat Veterans from the Negative Effects of Warzone Stress on Mental Health Symptoms and Work Impairment." Journal of Clinical Psychology(2011): . Ebsco. Database. 19 May 2012.

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