Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Treatment

Introduction
There are many events in life that can cause long-term stress, which occur at any stage
in life, and affect victims differently. Stress occurs when a person feels they are in danger of
physical harm or when a stressful event occurs. It occurs at any stage in life following a
serious illness, grisly accident, or a dangerous situation such as war, flooding, and earthquake
(NIH). I suffered from PTSD when I served in Afghanistan, especially following the death of
many of my colleagues.
Occurrence of PTSD
A long-term trauma becomes a stress disorder called post-trauma stress disorder. Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was highlighted during the Holocaust and American
involvement in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I personally suffered from PTSD
following my service in Afghanistan. Initially, PTSD was a DSM-IV or anxiety disorder, but
it is now recognized as a DSM-V or full mental illness (DSM-5;NIH). PTSD is more
prevalent among youthful adults, who are not yet accustomed to stressful situations, more
rarely among children who are shielded from stress by their caregivers, and rare among
elderly persons who are accustomed to stressful situations. (NIMH; PTSD). When I was
doing service in Afghanistan I witnessed the poverty and suffering in the countryside and
could not help thinking that they were just fighting to survive. I was particularly disturbed
when I shot and shuttered an enemy’s leg who was hurling a missile at us. As it turned out the
enemy was a fourteen year old, and the missile was just a stone. At another incident, we were

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ambushed while patrolling a small mountain town and seven of my colleagues were killed
that day, and I survived narrowly with no injuries.
Symptoms of PTSD
Veterans have nightmares and flashbacks when they recall traumatic events, and find
it difficult to verbally express their emotions. There is disinterest in hobbies, mistrust,
depression, and emotional disconnection with the people around them. According to
Goldberg, veterans feel guilty about their role in the traumatic events, for example, killing of
children during a bombing raid, raping local women, and looting shops. Stress is triggered by
low self-esteem, and resentment of low military rank. I got stress from remembering the MIA
and KIA. According to the PTSD website, of the Afghanistan and Iraq combatants, 95
percent met a corpse, 80 percent were shot at, and 86 percent saw a comrade being killed. I
witnessed much killing of even civilians.
Diagnosis
PTSD is diagnosed after taking the patient’s history. Symptoms of PTSD include
memory loss, jumpiness, and trouble sleeping, which get worse with time if untreated. The
Afghanistan/Iraq veterans reported an increase of PTSD from 3 percent to 18 percent within
six months of returning. The psychiatrist identifies the causes and manifestation of the
anxiety. For example, in the Middle East I endured long and stressful assignments away from
home, saw many bodies of war victims, suffered from homesickness, faced the risk of death
each day and also being sexually molested.
Returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan were observed to have become
excessive drinkers and smokers, depressed, and problematic in behavior. The proportion of
PTSD victims rode from 3 percent to 18 percent PTSD. Fear, anxiety and mental disturbance
lead to PTSD. According to PTSD Website, other causes of PTSD among veterans are
deployment to the front, inexperienced soldiers, presence of women and Hispanic

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combatants, severe injuries, low educational levels, lack of group support systems in the
camps, and so forth. NIMH states that civilians can witness or perpetrate accidents, recall bad
memories, serious illness, bereavement, rape, domestic violence, and murder. I saw most of
these occurrences during my tour of duty.
Treatment
Some veterans do not admit to having PTSD because admission symbolizes
weakness. Like me, most patients do not recognize that PTSD is caused by chemical
imbalance in the brain, which is treated by medication and therapy. The first step is,
therefore, to acknowledge the problem exists. The veteran should confide their feelings to a
close friend or relative, schedule a doctor’s appointment, and get someone to escort them to
the VA clinic. The patient should not be concerned about disclosure of their medical
condition as the military does not rely on it for reassigning responsibility (Goldberg).
The medication used to treat the PTSD and associated disorders includes Selective-
Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs, like Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, and Sertraline which
calm the nerves. Spiritual and religious support groups like yoga, meditation, prayers, and
pastoral care help victims to cope with PTSD. There are 1700 VA clinics and one million
combatants who fought in the Middle East, but only 46 percent took advantage of their VA
status medical listing, and 48 percent of them were diagnosed with PTSD (“Military Families
Support”).
PTSD veterans should adjust the lifestyle to cope with their conditions. They should engage
in exercises and non-violent sports in order to reduce stress. Finally, like I discovered, it is
important to read literature about PTSD, for example, read from the government’s official
website for Veteran Assistance, http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/vetcenter_flsh.asp
(PTSD Website).
Conclusion

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Post-trauma stress disorder is a mental illness that affects thousands of veterans.
Veteran patients who feel edgy and trapped in social surroundings become defensive and
aggressive. Treatment for PTSD is available at VA clinics, while veteran and support groups
provide psycho-social support. The veterans need to adopt a new and positive lifestyle.

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Works Cited

DSM-5. “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”. dsm5.org. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.
Goldberg, Joseph. “Diagnosis And Treatment Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”.WebMD.
N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.
“Military Families Support”. WebMD. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.
NIH. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Easy-To-Read)”. National Institutes of Health
Medline Plus 4.1 (2013): 10-14. Web.
NIMH. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Easy-To-Read)”.Nimh.nih.gov. N.p., 2013. Web. 26
Mar. 2016.
PTSD. “PTSD Symptoms & Treatment : Military Veterans Make The
Connection”. MakSetheconnection.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Mar. 2016.