I decided today to try to help others to perhaps better understand this elephant called Combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was given a manual filled with related articles when I took the 7 week Family Ed course on PTSD at VA Mental Health Clinic in Portland. It suddenly dawned on me today that this is not information that many people have access to. Though, our family has been dealing with it for 40 years, we were not aware of any of this until the past few months. I hope if you know veterans returning from combat situations who are struggling with the aftermath of war or if you know families who are struggling with their beloved vets, please share this information and encourage them to seek help through Veteran's Administration. There is help available.
PSTD above all is a SOUL WOUND and is a reaction to extreme stress from modern warfare.
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Intrusive Thoughts and Falshbacks
Replaying combat experiences in their minds, searching for alternative outcomes
Flashbacks triggered by everyday experiences: hilicopters, the smell of urine, the smell of diesel fuel, the smell of mold, the smell of Asian food cooking, green tree lines, popcorn popping, rainy days and refugees.
Isolation
He has few friends
isolates families emotionally, some geographically
Fantasies about being hermits, moving away fromt heir problems
Believes no one can understand, and no one would listen, if he tried to talk about his experiences
Isolates himself from his partner, family, and others with a “leave me alone” attitude—he needs no one
Emotional Numbing
Cold, aloof, uncaring, detached
Constant fear of “losing control,” “I may never stop crying.”
Emotional distance from children—concern about anger.
Depression
Sense of helplessness, worthlessness, and defection
Lacks self-esteem and suffers from great insecurity
Feels undeserving of good feelings
Seems unable to handle it when things are going well, and may appear to try to be sabotaging
Anger
Quiet, masked rage which is frightening to the veteran and to those around them
Sublimating the rage agains inanimate objects
Unable to handle or identify frustrations
Unexplainable, inappropriate anger
Substance Abuse
Used primarily to numb the “pain”, the memory, the guilt
Heavy use of either alcohol or drugs
Guilt—Suicidal Feelings and Thoughts
Self-destructive behavior: hopeless physical fights, single car accidents, compulsive blood donors.
Self-inflected injuries to “feel” pain—many “accidents” with power tools
High suicide rate
Financial suicide. As soon as things are well off, doing something to lose it all, or walk away from it
Survivor's Guilt—when others have died around them ask, “How is it that I survived when others more worthy than I did not? (pertains especially to medical personnel)
Anxiety or Nervousness
Uncomfortable when people walk close behind them, or sit behind them
Conditioned suspicion, they trust no one
* Startled responses
Emotional Construction
*Unresponsive to self, therefore unresponsive to others
Unable to express or share feelings, cannot talk about personal emotions
Unable to achieve intimacy with family, partner, or friends
