Premium Essay

Post-Stress Disorder Among Veterans

Submitted By
Words 1102
Pages 5
This papers offers insight on the struggle among veterans that suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to combat and other stressful situations that are endured during military enlistment. There are many articles available as well as research that has been conducted on the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Veterans that are combat and non combat related. There are many articles that closely show similar variations of statistics of Veterans in the United States of America that suffer from Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which varies by service area. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can also be related to other occurrences such as combat situations, military sexual trauma, and traumatic brain injury …show more content…
During these situations our bodies go into “fight or flight” mode which is a normal reaction to stressors. The fight or flight response is when we decide to stay and fight or to retreat and run away to safety.
In the military, people are taught to stand and fight the enemy instead of running away. In pre-Vietnam wars it was known as “soldier’s heart, “shell shock, “combat fatigue”, and is now been recognized by doctors as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The rise of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans is continuously growing which is why it’s important to study the disorders that cause this as well as other mental health issues that are associated with different experiences during combat and non combat situations among veterans.
According to the National Center for PTSD, the statistics and numbers of veterans that suffer from these mental health disorders varies by service …show more content…
There are several treatments available to Veterans that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many medications such as antidepressants help with sadness, anger, feeling empty and feeling worried. Psychotherapy or talk therapy includes talking to a mental health professional and can occur in groups or on a solo basis with a mental health professional. The assistance and support from family and friends also helps with the recovery of someone that suffers from this disorder as they need to know they are not alone through their time of hurt and confusion.
There are many organizations that have outreach programs to Veterans and first responders such as Camp Hope located in Houston, TX that houses veterans that specifically suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. They have an in depth program that requires the participant to stay there at their facility and go through the proper steps for rehabilitation and being able to successfully return to the community and be a successful member of

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Homeland Security

...effectively? 6. Have I proofread thoroughly? Adam Tennis Professor Martinez English 101 140531 PTSD: A Battle that lasts beyond the Combat Zone I will be using this paper to highlight some of the cause and effect of a familiar disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is currently an ongoing issue that many veterans are dealing with after Iraq and Afghanistan and it is something that you live with for the rest of your life. As more and more veterans are being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning from combat zones it has become a hot topic. This is a disease that lasts long past the combat zone. There has been an extreme amount of research poured into the treatment of this disorder but still little has been yielded for the treatment or even a baseline that causes the disorder. “In recent years there has been a rapidly growing amount of research on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our recent metaanalysis suggested that exposure to therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are among the most effective treatments for PTSD” (Pg. 13) Although many people do suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder I will be focusing on the veterans who are embattled with dealing with this. On September 11, 2001 America suffered a terrorist attack that changed the world as we know it. As thousands of innocent Americans lost their lives that day, it evoked very strong emotions in this...

Words: 804 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Combat Deployment

...Women Veterans: The Effects of Combat Deployment Patricia Rochedieu Liberty University Introduction to Human Services HSCO 500 Mrs. Jennifer Griffin November 17, 2014 Abstract The relocation and adjustment processes occurring within persons facing involuntary deployment are most certainly filled with anxiety and uncertainly. This discussion will focus on women veterans who have served on the front lines and the affects of combat deployment. Examinations defining the trials and tribulations faced by the female military member will place attention on the psychological and psychosocial transactions that occur during military operations and the challenges women face. Expansion of this topic will include a dialogue that offers insight into the growing concerns shaping the outcomes of the female member’s deployment to include military sexual trauma, eating disorders, depression, substance abuse, adjustment disorders, sleep disturbances and spiritual and existential struggles. Although this topic will only provide a brief glimpse into the female veteran’s plight it opens up a forum for further discussions within this topic with the intentions of highlighting the effects of combat deployment on women veterans who served on the front lines. Women Veterans: The Effects of Combat Deployment The participation of women deployed to combat areas throughout the world is vital to the successful outcomes of any mission. Women in the military are well trained and possess specific...

Words: 4779 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Ptsd in Military

..."combat fatigue," "shell shock," or "war neurosis." Combat veterans often return from deployment having experienced a wide range of exposures, symptoms and medical conditions. The Department of Veterans Affairs established war related illness and injury study centers to serve combat veterans with unexplained illnesses. History Although many coexisting disorders have been reported with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), little reference has been made to the presence of psychotic symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder is commonly described among victims of severe trauma outside of normal human experience, in this case the combat veterans returning from deployment. Traumatic events can lead to reevaluation of life and its meaning; a reconsideration of what is truly important which often changes one’s set of priorities. Trauma often causes abrupt cessation of continuity in coherence in sense of one’s self (Barlow, 2002). In the early 1800’s military doctors began diagnosing soldiers with "exhaustion" following the stress of battle. This "exhaustion" was characterized by mental shutdown due to individual or group trauma. Like today, soldiers during the 1800’s were not supposed to be afraid or show any fear in the heat of battle. The only treatment for this "exhaustion" was to bring the afflicted soldiers to the rear for a while then send them back into battle. Through extreme and often repeated stress, the soldiers became fatigued as a part of their body’s natural...

Words: 1006 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Vietnam War Veterans

...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Vietnam War Veterans COMM/156 4/14/2013 Professor Marsha Parker PTSD is an anxiety disorder classified as a mental illness caused by exposure to terrifying or life threatening events. During the time of war, people get exposed to devastating experiences such as sexual abuse, witnessing murder of family members or familiar people, and other horrors of war. As a result, the victims suffer from mental disorders since the horrible experiences are forever ingrained in their mind. Bearing in mind that bad memories are rarely erased, the experiences can be compared to a horror movie that is often played in the mind and constantly frightens the victim to death. On one hand the victim celebrates survival but on the other hand the experiences haunt one through night mares or flashbacks. The victim remains constantly on edge and is easily startled. Some common feelings include intense guilt and some time numbness- all signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (TMP, 2012). A research finding by Bruce Dohrenwend and colleagues from New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia’s Letter Carrier School of Public Health, shows that traumatic experiences during war predicted the onset of PTSD in Vietnam veterans (Mikulak, 2013). We will examine the PTSD in Vietnam War veterans. Human existence has been always exposed to traumatic incidences of various kinds. For instance, attacks by lions or even the twentieth century terrorist attacks to...

Words: 1645 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Drug Use In The Military Essay

...Some veterans aren’t so lucky to come home and live a completely normal life. More times then not veterans tend to come home dealing with PTSD (Post traumatic Stress Disorder), or they become be highly addicted to drugs and alcohol. These veterans try to cope with their Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by drinking heavily, using drugs, or smoking too much. People coming back from service have more problems with drugs and alcohol both before and after getting PTSD. Even if someone does not have a problem with alcohol before a traumatic event, getting PTSD tends to increases the risk that he or she will develop a drinking or drug problem. Eventually the overuse of these substances can turn into Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and treatment...

Words: 847 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Review

...Source Finley, E. P., Pugh, M. J., Pugh, M. J., & Peterson, A. (January 01, 2010). Patterns and Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Committed by Returning Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of Family Violence, 25, 8, 737-743. http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.hil.unb.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a5c7883c-d98e-44b4-bff5-1f22f9c3fce0%40sessionmgr12&vid=2&hid=20#739 Introduction The following critical review will be evaluating the article Patterns and Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Committed by Returning Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” by Erin P. Finley in the Journal of Family Violence. The following will include a summary of the article and identify the articles purpose. Following a review of three case studies the articles authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, objectivity and stability will also be examined. Patterns and Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Committed by Returning Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder identify a subject that is becoming more relevant in society. According to the article in the Journal of Family Violence (2010) 25:737-743, intimate partner violence is more prevalent among returning Veterans than in the general population addressing the patterns and perceptions. Over all this article was well written, organized and identified the important issues however, it was limited by its small sample size. The author’s comprehension of the family’s home lives, partner violence...

Words: 1230 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Case Study

...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the invisible wound, affects 11% of veterans of the war in Afghanistan and 20% of Iraqi war veterans (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic / Neuroscience and PTSD Treatments, 2009). The diagnosis of PTSD or the suspicion that one has PTSD alone does not label a combat veteran as violent. There may be other factors at play which could make the person a threat or that may play a role in a crime already committed such as emotional disorders or substance abuse. Violence such as abuse or assault with a deadly weapon taken in the context of war may be adaptive and appropriate because anger instincts are often difficult to reconcile into everyday life. If treated, post-9/11 combat veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder typically are not dangerous and do not pose a...

Words: 1185 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Case Study

...Florida is one of the largest veteran-populated states in the USA. It has been reported that lots of military returning from past conflicts used to have an alcohol abuse. Substance misuse is linked with posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and other mental disabilities that can appear after strenuous and shocking events such as those connected with war. Often, drinking strong drinks may serve as a coping mechanism after stressful events; it is strongly possible that deployment can be related to high rates of consuming alcohol or alcoholism. In order to ensure accurate treatment for veterans, further I will state some researches about what psychic problems and why appear in their lives, what population is at risk to become substance dependent, what exact nursing care and interventions should be done for them and finally, what professional competence is needed....

Words: 701 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Abnormal Pscyhology

...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder   After experiencing a traumatic event, the mind horde away the memories and then send them back at unexpected times and places, even after years have passed. It does so in such a way that makes the recall just as traumatizing as the first time it happened. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the name for the acquired mental condition that follows a psychologically distressing event. The root cause of this disorder is a traumatic event which embeds itself firmly in the mind that the person may be bounded by the pain and agony of the event, experiencing it again and again as the mind stays connected with the past rather than the present, which makes it difficult to think of the future. PTSD has different effects that manifest itself in different ways in individuals such as veterans, post-partum women, and 9/11 victims. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that develops after a traumatic event. PTSD has also been called shell shock or battle fatigue. The exact cause of PTSD is unknown; however, it is triggered by exposure to some sort of traumatic event(s). Situations in which a person feels intense fear, helplessness, or horror are considered traumatic. PTSD has been reported in people who experienced, war, rape, sexual abuse, car accident, pregnancy, and much more. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. People with PTSD experience symptoms...

Words: 1274 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

...emotional distress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both active duty and reserve component soldiers who have fought in the war (i.e. experienced combat) have been exposed to high levels of traumatic stress. As a consequence, many have gone on to develop a wide range of mental health problems such as PTSD. “According to researchers, PTSD is a long-term reaction to war-zone exposure that can last up to a few minutes, hours, several weeks, and for some a lifetime.” Common symptoms include: emotional numbing, anxiety, feelings of guilt, and depression. If the disorder turns chronic veterans may experience functional impairment (Friedman, M. J. et al., 1994, p. 265).” PTSD is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In general, the younger veterans are the more likely they are to develop PTSD when deployed. Deployment related issues from veterans may have a devastating impact on their relationships back home. “Numerous research studies have linked PTSD to family relationship problems (Goff, Crow, Reisberg, &ump; Hamilton, 2006).” PTSD is likely to be “the” contributor to relationship problems that are not related to deployments. Spouses or partners of veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD are at greater risk of hostility and aggression in their relationship than spouses whose veterans are not diagnosed. To combat this direction and effective coping skills have been shown to improve adjustment, stress management, and problem...

Words: 2540 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Ptsd

...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders 1 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders: Defining, Diagnosing, Correlation with Insomnia and Nightmares as well as The Treatment and Recovery Processes in War Veteran’s Tammy L. Egan Fulton-Montgomery Community College Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders 2 Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder or most commonly known as PTSD, is a common problem for veterans returning from war all over the world. It can often be misdiagnosed as a traumatic brain injury or overlooked altogether because of the similarities in their symptoms. This paper will define what post-traumatic stress is as according to the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, its correlation with insomnia and nightmares, traumatic brain injuries and rare heart conditions, and it summarizes various treatment options including virtual reality, the Recover process, cognitive processing therapy, clinical programs, the use of the drug propranolol, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Lastly, it will review problems with those treatments, involving flaws in the research studies, ethical issues and gender issues. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders 3 Defining, Diagnosing, Correlation with Insomnia and Nightmares as well as The Treatment and Recovery Processes in War Veteran’s Wars have been fought for centuries, and the soldiers fighting these wars often come home scarred, either physically, mentally, or both. Soldiers who exhibit...

Words: 3561 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

PTSD: Should Society Get More Involved

...Veterans with PTSD: Should Society Get More Involved? November 11th, also known as Veterans Day, is the day citizens all over the United States celebrate the soldiers who serve for America. A person can tackle his or her daily duties under the protection and services of the soldiers fighting for freedom. Soldiers put in work everyday and sacrifice more than what a lot of people realize. But most importantly, veterans and soldiers alike are human too, meaning they also have problems and struggles in life; most commonly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Because of soldiers’ great sacrifice to protect civilians and their country, more actions must be taken to assist in reintegrating veterans with PTSD back into society. When dealing with a particularly...

Words: 841 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Ptsd Research Paper

...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Military Families Angelica Sevcik Eastern State Florida Collage Fall 2015 Total Word count References=Body WC Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Military Families. Davis, L. L., Pilkinton, P., Poddar, S., Blansett, C., Toscano, R., & Parker, P. E. (2014). Impact of social challenges on gaining employment for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: An exploratory moderator analysis. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 37(2), Purpose: To explore whether psychosocial challenges impact effects of vocational rehabilitation in Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Hypothesis Procedure: A post hoc exploratory analysis of possible moderators of treatment was conducted...

Words: 927 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Research on Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

...Ty Meeks Psych 32 April 15, 2012 Research on Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder The first reported case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder dates back nearly 3000 years. In 1000BC an Egyptian combat veteran named Hori wrote, “You determine to go forward. Shuddering seizes you, the hair on your head stands on end, your soul lies in your hand” (Dyer). Since the beginning of wars men have been terrified of dyeing, and subjected to horrific scenes of devastation. This constant mental and physical stress can lead to numerous lasting complications in combat veterans. In 1678 Swiss military physicians finally identified the unusual behaviors among their combat veterans and gave it the medical name “Nostalgia” (Bentley). Since that time many militaries around the world have been studying the effects of war on their troops. It was not till the Civil war that the US first took an active approach to handling those afflicted with the disorder. In his article Bentley wrote, “During the Civil War the psychological symptoms from war became so common, field commanders as well as medical doctors pleaded with the War Department to provide some type of screening to eliminate recruit susceptible to psychiatric breakdown.” The first military hospitals were finally opened in 1863 to deal with the large numbers of mental breaks caused by the war. The US finally gave this condition a name after WWI. They believed that the impact of the shells being...

Words: 1002 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Ptsd

...Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Necessary Improvements the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and United States Department of Defense Must Make Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental anxiety disorder, affects 13% to 20% of armed force members returning from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) (Hoge, et. al, 2004), in addition to a large population of Vietnam Veterans. Within the past 32 years, awareness of this disorder has escalated and the realism of the severity of this disorder has been noticed. Efforts to screen and treat PTSD in military veterans have been established by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Screening is conducted once military personnel return from deployment and treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Exposure Therapy, and medications are used to relieve the symptoms of PTSD. These screening and treatment methods are evaluated and s suggestion for improvement is made. Necessary Improvements the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Defense Must Make With Regards to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In current political debate, the United States is arguing where budget cuts should be made and how the U.S. should go about spending money. The U.S. military is consistently brought up in these considerations. In such considerations, topics such as downsizing the military and the...

Words: 4896 - Pages: 20