A lot of people are not ready to talk about their trauma experiences because that’s the nature of traumatic experiences. They’re traumatic to think about, let alone talk about, with a relative stranger. People fail to get a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis because they could not bring themselves to tell someone about the horror that they experienced. To help bring more awareness to this deadly disease, follow along in this narrative and see how you can help.
"It’s a slippery slope that some don’t ever escape. It’s a continuous challenge. It’s fighting a war even after you’ve come home. It's erratic and it's uncontrollable."
Envision yourself as a mother or father, saying goodbye to their child as he departs to the most dangerous place in the world. Imagine you are a young boy hugging your daddy and knowing that he won’t be there for your very first touchdown… or any touchdowns of that season. Imagine kissing your wife goodbye and hugging your children one last time with the horror that you may be leaving them forever.
Now visualize yourself getting into a vehicle. Bags in, left foot, then right foot… sit. The engine revs and you click your seatbelt. An unsettling feeling sets in, that the next time you step off you may never get back on. The uncertainty that sits in the pit of your stomach is enough to make you want to turn and run… but lord knows you would never do that.
You’ve made it.
The first thing you hear is an explosion off to the right... a little too close for comfort. You hit the ground running to get done what you came here to do. You have one mission and under any circumstances, you are going to accomplish it.
Put yourself in the shoes of a soldier on the battlefield. You’re running and only seconds in, your best friend drops from the impact of a near by bomb. What do you do? You turn back. You are there by his side assuring that he’s going to be okay, but before you finish that sentence… he’s gone.
You look to the left and see three soldiers down from gunshots. Two faces you recognize from basic training. The three of you went to hell and back during that time. They’re now gone. You can hear screams from the wounded agonizing in pain and there is nothing you can do.
You’ve seen some of the most vulgar images, but you did it. You are on your way home, back to your mom and dad, your wife and kids.
But things seem a little different.
You keep waking up in the middle of the night reliving the horrific scenarios from your time at war. The sound of a door slamming puts you into shock. Simple sounds and noises are causing you to react erratically and you have no idea why. Now your wife and kids have left in fear of your actions. You think to yourself, you have gone off to war for months and now that you’re back home, it’s like you are still fighting a war.
“All men who go to war die, anybody who comes back, well they came back cheated.”
-------
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a common disorder that develops after a life-threatening or horrific event has been experienced or witnessed. Flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive memories are all symptoms of PTSD. It not only affects the individual, but it affects their friends and family as well.
More often than not, veterans are fearful to seek help for their PTSD in fear that they will lose credibility, security clearance, etc. Without help, you can be sure to expect the worst. It is in the hands of their loved ones to get informed and take the necessary steps to helping our active duty and veterans.
In order to help those who have fought our country, you can better educate yourself on the topic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Recognizing symptoms and bringing more awareness to PTSD is essential to overcoming the stigma and misinformation regarding this mental health problem
For more information and how you can help, visit here.
