Raise Your Voice!

I recently lost an extremely close friend of mine to PTSD. He was a Marine veteran.  He completed many tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Each tour he came back a little different. His eyes grew darker and lost their sparkle. He tried to keep up a brave facade and not let people see he was in need of help. The military knew for a fact that he was suffering from PTSD, that was why he was discharged. He lost his life on March 21, 2013 after experiencing a flashback where he was surrounded by the Iraqi Guard from when he was fighting for our country. I have finally come to grips with his untimely death. I still find that tears come freely for him.  He was in all extensive purposes my big brother. I do not blame the military for his death.  I blame the government.  They send these young men and women overseas to fight and just throw them aside when they are done with them. Was there help out there? I do not know. What I do know is that it is not commonly known if there is. I am a psychology major and have spent countless hours doing internships, but I could not tell you one place in my city that specializes in veterans with PTSD. 

Now some of you may be wondering what PTSD is.  It stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The clinical definition of PTSD is "Disorder that occurs following an extreme traumatic event, in which a person re-experiences the event, avoids reminders of the trauma, and exhibits persistent increased arousal." What does this mean? It means that even though the soldier's outer war is over, they still have an inner war that they have to fight themselves. Though they may be in a safe place, their brain kicks back into the war zone.  Have you ever had a nightmare that you were so sure was real, only you could wake up and know it wasn't? Well for them, they wake up and know the nightmare was real because it had already happened to them.

The key characteristics of PTSD are nightmares and flashbacks.  What are flashbacks? Flashbacks are memories that are triggered by different instances but are so realistic that the person does not realize they are having a flashback. Think of it as a movie or cd that starts skipping.  When it hangs up and keeps playing the same thing over and over. This is what happens. These soldiers who fight to defend our country and our freedoms will keep reliving the terrors they faced, only it is often times distorted by the brain into a warped reality.

Why is PTSD such a devastating disease? It can severely handicap those affected by it. It is a very severe psychological disorder. Soldiers may jump into a flashback just from hearing a car backfire or a door slam. It affects all aspects of their lives. I remember the first time my friend came over to see my daughter after a tour. He could barely even look at her because he was scared she would pick up on what all he had to do over there. PTSD causes stress in marriages, especially if the spouse of the affected soldier does not understand the disease. Not only that, but statistically those who suffer PTSD tend to form a co-morbidity of alcoholism. They tend to drink to numb the pain and to help them forget. What many do not understand is that the drinking only exacerbates the disease. They start needing more and more alcohol to dull the pain.

What signs should one watch for with a loved one they think might be affected by PTSD? They vary from person to person, but the general signs are:

• personality changes
• chronic nightmares
• waking up in cold sweats
• always on edge
• mood swings
• they tend to drift off in thought

What can you do if you feel a loved one is suffering from PTSD?

• Be understanding
• let them know you are there for them
• BE PATIENT
• advise them to seek help
• let them know that it is not being weak to ask for help
• support them
• LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY

It is the government that needs to change. Our soldiers fight for us, but our government does not fight for them. Write your state representatives and demand action!!! Our soldiers need our help. Do not let this disease go quiet. Raise your voices, be heard!!!