Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Recommended: Ptsd in military personnel and its effects on families

For the last eight or nine years we have been hearing about a disorder that is seemingly new. This disorder is known as post traumatic stress. We hear on the news that a veteran had hurt his or her family and this disorder was the cause. We have seen the countless reports of the number of divorces that are cause by post traumatic stress. Just by reading the reports and watching the news one can conclude that this is a disorder that is cause by war. PTSD is not a diagnosis solely held by war veterans. It is a disorder can affect anyone and their families. In this paper we will discuss just what post traumatic stress is and how it affects people whether or not they have been to war. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. This is how the National Institute of Mental Health defines post traumatic stress. Given this definition it is easy to see how war veterans have become the face of this disorder. However they are not the only people susceptible to being diagnosed with PTSD. The Anxiety Disorders Association of America estimates that 7.7 million Americans age 18 and older have PTSD. Having been in the military the vast majority of my friends are or were military members. As a matter of fact I can probably count on one hand the number of people I call friends that were never in the military. Many of my friends have post traumatic stress. The stories that they can tell will make you believe that it came from a horror movie. I assure that this was real; none of their stories are made up. It is documented and they have the medals to prove it. Prior to leaving the military I was stationed at Camp ... ... middle of paper ... ...ecause caring so much for the person with post traumatic is so stress it is a good idea to look into talking to someone when the stress gets to be too much. In conclusion PTDS is a disorder caused by any traumatic event, not just war veterans. It is important to look for the signs that someone may be suffering from this disorder and just doesn’t feel the desire to seek help because they think they are fine. It is not only a disorder that affects the person diagnosed with it but it also affects that family member that are trying to help them treat it. So the best we can do is be mindful and do what we can to help. References: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/effects-ptsd-family.asp http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

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