The Importance Of PTSD In Military Veterans

Between February 2001 and April 2003, many were completed by approximately 9,282 Americans, 18 years of age or above, completed a survey that was conducted by The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). According to The National Comorbidity Survey Replication study, 5,692 Americans were diagnosed with PTSD. However, this research used the DSM-4 criteria. It was estimated that the lifetime prevalence was about 6.8% for Americans in young adulthood. This was a jump from the previous year at 3.5%. The lifetime prevalence for women was higher, at 9.7%, than it was for men at 3.6%. “Kessler, R.C., Berglund, P., Delmer, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K.R., & Walters, E.E. (2005).”

This is very difficult for people to get jobs and have a social life. PTSD can make somebody hard to be with. Living with someone who is easily startled, has nightmares, and often avoids social situations can take a toll on the most resilient family. Research shows that Vietnam Veterans have more marital problems and family violence. Their children have more behavior problems than do those of Veterans without PTSD. Veterans with the most severe symptoms had families with the worst communication. This is because people who have PTSD have a hard time feeling emotions or expressing them. They may feel detached from others. This can cause problems in personal relationships with the spouse. The numbing and avoidance that occurs with PTSD is linked

Before the Vietnam War, it was not uncommon to know very little about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); however, after a large percentage of Vietnam soldiers were affected by the disorder, the symptoms of PTSD were widely known. PTSD is caused when a person faces a traumatic event that causes a mental pain deep inside of them. PTSD affected 31% of the Vietnam soldiers. PTSD causes a person to feel emotionally numb to the world around them. There are many different symptoms that can be linked to PTSD, and every person will experience it differently. Some symptoms include, reliving the situation through nightmares, becoming aggressive, and coming home with the feeling of being broken.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. Common problems that usually follow the traumatic event if you have PTSD are survivors guilt, shameful, angry, depressed, night terrors, sleeping problems and untrusting of others around you. Drugs and alcohol become a problem among some people that have PTSD (The National Center for PTSD Prolonged Exposure, 2013).

Many veterans who have been through war and experienced the gruesome nature of it come back to civilian life as a whole different person. Once they have returned, it is extremely difficult for them to function normally and go back to the way they used to be. One adjustment issue that individuals with PTSD struggle with is having this unrestrained feeling of being on edge that occurs spontaneously. As a soldier, these people were trained to always be on guard, fully alert, and be ready to pull the trigger during combat. As a result, some of these individuals develop a violent and agitated behavior, which is very hard for them to control. Furthermore, many veterans with PTSD have flashbacks of the horrors of warfare and have constant nightmares

An anonymous veteran sends in his story about serving for the U.S military. He states that he was diagnosed with severe PTSD. While at work, he sometimes had to go outside due to the lack of being able to control his emotions. His wife and son also take caution by keeping their distance on the days he is emotionally unstable. Drinking also became a habit to try to calm the emotional episodes he was facing. Even though his family and friends noticed these issues, they decided not to bother for the sake of his anger. (PTSD and Me: True Stories from Military Veterans). These things happen to many veterans all over the world. PTSD affects every aspect of a person's life.

One group of people at risk for developing PTSD are those who have experienced military combat. Although it is difficult to provide a definitive number of veterans with current PTSD, the following data provide some insight into prevalence rates. Hoge et al. (2004) assessed Army combat troops for PTSD one month prior to deployment and four months postdeployment. Marine Corps combat troops were also assessed for PTSD, however, this group was only assessed for PTSD after deployment. Their data estimated prevalence of PTSD for the Army study group before deployment to Iraq to be at 9% and after deployment to Iraq at 18%. The researchers also provided data for Afghanistan post deployment rates of PTSD for the Army group to be at 11.5%. Additionally,

Approximately 30% of men and 27% of women had PTSD at some point in their life following Vietnam.” In examining the mental health condition of Persian Gulf War veterans have found, “… rates of PTSD stemming from the war range anywhere from almost 9% to approximately 24%. “In Iraq Afghan War “After deployment, approximately 12.5% had PTSD, a rate greater than that found among these soldiers before deployment”.

Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is sometimes considered to be a relatively new diagnosis, as the name first appeared in 1980, the concept of the disorder has a very long history. That history has often been linked to the history of war, but the disorder has also been frequently described in civilian settings involving natural disasters, mass catastrophes, and serious accidental injuries. The diagnosis first appeared in the official nomenclature when Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-I was published in 1952 under the name gross stress reaction. It was omitted, however, in the next edition in 1968, after a long

There has been controversy about whether the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is taking care of their veterans or are resisting in recognizing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Union of Concerned Scientist found that the Department of Defense stated that, “The U.S. Army allegedly pressured psychologists not to diagnose Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to free the Army from providing long-term, expensive care for soldiers. The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has also been implicated in pressuring staff to misdiagnose veterans with the aim of cutting costs” (UCS). In result of not properly diagnosing the veterans, they are left unsure why treatment

Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that may develop after experiencing or seeing a traumatic or a brutal life threatening event. It is increasingly on the rise in war veterans. For those with PTSD only 53 percent have seen physicians or a mental health care provider. And for those who sought out care, roughly only 50 percent received adequate treatment when returning from combat. Although there are many treatments available most patients disregard the obvious signs of PTSD. Because some are afraid of the stigma of PTSD and being labeled as a crazy or violent person, If we create awareness and stop this ignorant notion, people with the disorder would

PTSD is a disease/disorder that many of our own soldiers have to live with for the rest of their lives. PTSD is a slept on thing that many people do not believe in. About 11-20 out of every 100 soldiers have to live with it. Many soldiers live with PTSD because of how life threatening and stressful war is.

1 in 8 returning soldiers suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Soon after returning home, family members start noticing a change in the soldiers. Most are in denial about having PTSD. What they need to know is that the earlier that they can get help, the better off they’ll be. With so many suffering, where are all the treatments? Even though some soldiers would abuse the treatment provided for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, American Veterans need to be provided with the proper treatment for it.

Mental health illness is a major issue that several United States systems faces daily. Mental illness can contribute to high crime rates, suicide, drug addiction, mass shootings, prison overcrowding, and several other problems. This paper will discuss and examine mental health issues as it develops and result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the United States Military, and specifically how PTSD can result in suicide among military service members. PTSD is commonly and well known to infantry soldiers who were mostly deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq war between 2001 and 2003 due to an overwhelming and challenging environment. The war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq conflicts, both have had a an actual impact on soldiers' mental health. In addition, infantrymen are most likely to experience at least one event as a minimum that may result in PTSD than any other divisions in the military. According to Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Major Gary Wynn provides statistics shows that "93 percent report coming under fire from artillery, rockets, and mortars. 91 percent say their unit has been attacked or ambushed. 87 percent say they know someone who has been seriously injured or killed" (Robson 2012).

When humans undergo traumatic events that threaten their safety and wellbeing, they may become vulnerable to nightmares, fear, excessive anxiety, depression, and trembling. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological illness that results from the occurrence of a “terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise unsafe experience” (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 2012). This condition often leads to unbearable stress and anxiety. PTSD is significantly prevalent as indicated by data from the National Co-morbidity Survey which shows that at a particular time in their lives, 7.8% of 5, 877 adults in America suffered from PTSD (Andrew & Bisson, 2009). In the general population, the lifetime prevalence is estimated at 8%,