PTSD Awareness Month–What You Can do to Recieve Help, Build Awareness and Remove the Stigma
(And how one organization is transforming lives right here in our backyard)
Not all wounds are visible, and not all wounds are easily healed.
Some wounds have their roots woven so deeply into the core of a person, it at times feels hopeless to manage.
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, 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. In many cases, the anxiety becomes so intense that their lives are disrupted.
Oftentimes, PTSD is associated with veterans. However, PTSD also affects men, women, and children of all ages and from all walks of life.
Yet although extremely common, PTSD is not something that just needs to be accepted as the new normal.
June is National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month, and is intended to raise public awareness about issues related to PTSD, reduce the stigma associated with PTSD, and help ensure that those suffering from the invisible wounds of trauma receive the help and treatment they need.
PTSD is not a cookie-cutter disorder. It comes in many different forms and affects people in different ways.
In today’s culture, the image of a veteran being startled by fireworks or a car alarm is a familiar one. And while many military personnel do experience PTSD in these ways, just as many have completely different triggers. Because different trauma creates different triggers, it is impossible for an outside observer to know what will re-ignite post-traumatic stress in any individual.
Many times the symptoms of PTSD wreak havoc internally, and from the outside, you may not even realize that any given person around you might be suffering from this intense anxiety.
Some of the symptoms of PTSD include:
Disturbing memories or flashbacks
Nightmares
Difficulty sleeping
Feeling irritable or angry
Having trouble concentrating
Feeling hyper-vigilant or on-guard for fear of danger
It's normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after a traumatic event. But, if symptoms last more than a few months, it may be PTSD.
Here is the good news: PTSD is not a life sentence
There is help and effective treatment available.
Organizations like Recovery Resource Council (a partner of Serve Denton) specializes in promoting wellness and recovery from trauma and substance disorders.
There are treatments for this disorder that allow the symptoms to become less intense or stop them from coming back. Treatment can even help someone experiencing PTSD reconnect with their family, friends, and community.
Whether it be a veteran who has witnessed or participated in acts of war, a victim of assault, or a family whose lives have been completely uprooted from a tornado, they still share one thing in common.
Trauma.
Here are 4 facts about trauma you probably didn’t know:
Women are more likely to suffer from PTSD
Sexual trauma and violence often cause PTSD in victims. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), 94% of women who are sexually assaulted experience PTSD during the two weeks following, and 1 in 3 women report symptoms of PTSD nine months later.
Trauma comes in different sizes
There are two types of trauma that can range in severity based on causes and triggers from a particular event. ‘Big T’ trauma (and the one most widely associated with PTSD) refers to trauma that has occurred from life-threatening situations like wars, natural disasters, or physical assault. Disturbing events that are not life-threatening such as divorce, death in a family, or financial hardships are considered ‘Small T’ trauma.
About 8 million adults experience PTSD in a given year
PTSD is not a disorder that is exclusive to veterans and those who have served in the military. According to the National Center for PTSD, six out of every ten males and five out of every ten females will experience at least one trauma in their lives and seven or eight out of every 100 people will have PTSD at some point in their life. When fractionated out, that adds up to about 8 million adults experiencing PTSD during a given year.
PTSD is not just from personal experience
Combat exposed veterans face increased risk, as do veterans who experience military sexual trauma. But the different causes go even further than that. Sometimes, veterans develop PTSD, not due to their own trauma, but the trauma that their friends or family have experienced. For example, a veteran may develop PTSD symptoms after learning that a friend was injured in the line of duty. In cases like this, the PTSD symptoms are no less real, even though the initial trauma did not happen to the individual.
Everyone with PTSD—whether they are Veterans or civilian survivors of sexual assault, serious accidents, natural disasters, or other traumatic events—needs to know that treatments really do work and can lead to a better quality of life.
There is help available
Each year, thousands of individuals and families turn to Recovery Resource Council for help. All it takes is a moment to change a life for the better.
Their target population includes veterans and their family members, chronic homeless adults with co-occurring disorders, at-risk youth struggling with the impact of adverse childhood experiences, and adults struggling with addictions, trauma, and mental health disorders.
Veterans and unsheltered people often struggle with addiction and mental health issues. In 2013, the Council expanded its programs to include psychotherapy to veterans and their families, working in concert with Veterans Affairs (V.A.) to provide much-needed services that are in short supply. Therapy is provided in person and virtually and at no cost to the veterans and their families.
In fact, their Mental Health Services for Veterans and their families are now provided statewide.
When a service member lives with PTSD, they also live with all of the problems that it creates. For example, if a veteran cannot find help, he or she might feel tempted to use drugs or alcohol to cope with the symptoms. While that impulse is understandable, this kind of behavior can quickly spiral into addiction. Addiction, in turn, can worsen mental health, leading to even worse signs and symptoms of PTSD.
Chronic pain is another important factor that often comes alongside PTSD. When veterans are injured during service, they may start using prescription painkillers to handle the pain, which in turn can lead to painkiller addiction. For this reason, it’s important that veterans receive care that treats both PTSD and addiction. This way, a full recovery can be made that does not leave any residual issues unaddressed.
Just remember 2 things…
PTSD recovery is not a one-size-fits-all approach
If you’re a veteran yourself, don’t feel discouraged if someone seems to recover more quickly than you do. Recovering from trauma is a highly personalized process, and being a slow healer does not mean that you are failing at recovery.
If you think you might be experiencing some of the stings from PTSD, take your next step toward healing today. Recovery Resource Council is armed and ready to fight on your behalf, and usher you to a place of mental rest and inner peace.
Even if you don’t suffer from PTSD, you have the power to help
Perhaps the most dangerous misconception is that you cannot help loved ones living with PTSD. Even if you’re not a veteran yourself, someone who has experienced PTSD, or a mental health professional, you can always act as a resource for people in your life.
Build up the tools on your toolbelt by:
Familiarizing yourself with local treatment options in case a loved one is in need
Listening to the issues and concerns of veterans and showing your support
Reading about PTSD to better understand the condition
“Greater understanding and awareness of PTSD will help veterans and others recognize symptoms, and seek and obtain needed care.” – Dr. Paula P. Schnurr, Executive Director of the National Center for PTSD