For those of us who are in a military family, the term post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not an unfamiliar one. Although the branches of the military whole-heartedly support helping our troops cope and overcome this, those feelings may or may not trickle down depending on the quality of your soldier's leaders. The seriousness of this disorder is sometimes overlooked, ignored, or made fun of by sevice member's peers and even superiors. Therefore, as a family member it is important for us to know the signs, be patient with our soldier, and encourage treatment at an early date.
Active coping with PTSD is understanding, recognizing and accepting the impact that the traumatic event or events have had on your life, and taking actions to overcome that. This is the hardest part for our troops because they are trained to be physically and mentally tough. In fact, that is a line in the Soldier's Creed, an oath that all Army soldiers take. Admitting that the war zone or specific events have affected them is admitting weakness to them. Actually the opposite is true; when a person takes an active mindset on dealing with their problems they will start to feel a sense of empowerment and feel less helpless.
Recovery is a slow and on-going process. Try to remember that your soldier is dealing with a considerable amount of stress, even if it has been years, work with him or her on their level. If they continue to have reactions this is normal because the healing process is not necessarily forgetting or not having an emotional connection with the memory. Healing is more closely defined as experiencing fewer symptoms and reactions over a period of time. Starting treatment early is best but it is never too late.
Keep following for more important information on PTSD.
*remember to seek help immediately if your service member is having suicidal thoughts as these should ALWAYS be taken seriously*
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