PTSD Blog

PTSD can have a major impact on a person's life. Fortunately, there are a number of different types of treatments available for someone looking for help in recovering from their PTSD. For example, both cognitive-behavioral treatments (especially those that include exposure) and psychodynamic psychotherapy have been found to be effective in reducing the symptoms of PTSD. There are also some medications available that can help someone cope with PTSD. You can learn more about the different treatments for PTSD here.

You can find PTSD treatment providers in your area through UCompare HealthCare from About.com, as well as the Anxiety Disorder Association of America.

A recent article on CNN.com draws attention to the homelessness problem among our veterans. The number of veterans who are homeless is shocking. According to the article, there may be 200,000 veterans who are homeless. Of these, most served in the Vietnam War. However, around 2,000 of them are Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. Why such high rates of homelessness?

The primary cause of homelessness among our veterans is PTSD. PTSD can negatively affect a person's family life and their ability to work. In addition, PTSD is highly associated with drug and alcohol use which may further increase the risk for homelessness. Check out this interesting article at CNN.com to learn more about this problem, as well as what the VA is doing to respond.

Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are showing high rates of PTSD, alcohol use, depression and difficulties with anger. Returning soldiers may also be at a heightened risk for physical health problems.

The experience of a traumatic event has been linked to a number of physical health problems as well as unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and alcohol use. Obviously, being deployed in a war zone, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, increases the likelihood that a person will experience a traumatic event and thus be at a greater risk for developing PTSD and potential physical health problems. Soldiers deployed to a war zone, however, also face additional risk factors for physical health problems, including sustaining a physical injury and being exposed to environmental contaminants (dangerous chemicals).

Therefore, a study by researchers at the Seattle VA Hospital examined what factors (the experience of PTSD symptoms, physical injury, exposure to environmental contaminants) may be connected to physical health problems among Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. You can read about their interesting findings here.

One common traumatic event that can lead to PTSD is a motor vehicle accident. Each year around 3 million people are injured in motor vehicle accidents, and it's been found that almost 50% of people in a motor vehicle accident where medical attention was needed developed PTSD as well as major depression.

Fortunately, there is an excellent workbook available that may help motor vehicle accident survivors cope with their PTSD symptoms, Overcoming the Trauma of Your Motor Vehicle Accident: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program Workbook, by Drs. Edward Hickling and Edward Blanchard (published by Oxford University Press). The cognitive-behavioral workbook offers information on PTSD and motor vehicle accidents and takes the reader through a number of coping skills that have been found to be effective in reducing PTSD symptoms associated with a motor vehicle accident, including engaging in pleasant events, relaxation and exposure exercises. An added benefit of the workbook is that it also teaches ways of dealing with problems often associated with PTSD, such as anger, avoidance and depression.

Read more about this excellent resource here.

Depression is common among people with PTSD. Depression may lead people with PTSD to isolate themselves from friends and family, as well as prevent them from taking part in activities they once enjoyed. This isolation and avoidance can then make a person's depression worse. One healthy way of combating this isolation and avoidance is to get more active in your life and put aside time in your day to take part in activities that you once found to be positive, pleasurable, and rewarding. You can read more about scheduling positive activities and how it might influence your mood here.

Levees continue to fail in holding back waters from the Mississippi River as flooding continues throughout the Midwest. Natural disasters such as this can definitely be considered a traumatic event , and people who have been affected by these floods may be at risk for the development of PTSD. However, PTSD can be prevented. The American Psychological Association provides a number of important and helpful resources on how to cope and recover from a natural disaster such as flooding. Additional information can be found on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website.

A very important factor in preventing the development of PTSD and recovery from a traumatic event is the availability of social support and healthy coping strategies. You can learn more about developing social support and healthy coping strategies through the following articles:

• Establishing Social Support
• Healthy Ways of Coping with the Effects of a Traumatic Experience

Finally, you can learn more about natural disasters and PTSD with the articles listed below:

• The Psychological Impact of the 2004 Tsunami
• The Psychological Effects of Hurricane Katrina

High rates of PTSD, depression, and alcohol use have been found among soldiers serving in and returning from the Iraq War. However, less attention has been placed on the stress experienced by the children of Iraq War service men and women. One study found that children with family members serving in Iraq had higher heart-rate levels (a sign that they may have been under high levels of stress) and symptoms of PTSD as compared to adolescents with civilian parents and adolescents with parents in the military who were not deployed. You can read more about this study here.

In addition, the American Psychological Association recently posted an article from the Tacoma, Washington News Tribune where military children describe the struggles they face in having a parent serve in the Iraq War. The article also describes what is being done to help these children cope with the stress of having a deployed parent. You can access this interesting article here.

If you have PTSD, then you likely know that your PTSD symptoms can occur at any time and in any place. Triggers for PTSD symptoms are all around (whether you are aware of them or not), and it may not take much for a trigger to cause intrusive memories and thoughts about a traumatic event, symptoms of hyperarousal and hypervigilance, or emotional distress. Therefore, given that the occurrence of PTSD symptoms can be unpredictable, it is important to create a safety plan for coping with them in case they occur. Learn about some things you might want to include in your safety plan.

Having PTSD can greatly impact the life of the person with the diagnosis. However, the impact of PTSD can extend farther into the lives of friends and family. PTSD can be viewed as similar to a chronic illness, and the person with PTSD may require constant care from a loved one, such as a wife or husband. As a result, partners of people with PTSD may be faced with a number of stressors that go along with caring for and living with someone with a chronic disease, such as financial strain, managing the person's symptoms, dealing with crises, loss of friends, or loss of intimacy. This stress is sometimes referred to as "caregiver burden."

It is important to learn how to deal with caregiver burden. Caregiver stress can negatively affect both the caregiver and the person being cared for. You can learn more about caregiver stress and what to do about it here.

A recent story at MSNBC.com reports that the long tours soldiers face cause high levels of stress, and as a result, suicide rates among Iraq War soldiers are the highest they have been since 1980. According to this report, there were 115 suicides in 2007 and 38 confirmed suicides in 2008. You can access this interesting report here.

You can also read more about the relationship between PTSD and suicide here.

In addition, to learn more about PTSD in Iraq War soldiers, check out the articles below:

• PTSD in Service Members Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
  
  
• PTSD and Anger among Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans
  
  
• Children of Iraq War Soldiers Experience High Levels of Stress