Darkness Looming
In an interview with 60 minutes Australia, former British soldier Brad Copelin, recounts his struggles with PTSD (Copelin). He explains that even while doing something as mundane as playing with his daughters could turn into a rage with no warning. When asked if his wife had any impact on his life, he stated that he more than likely would not be doing this interview if was not for her. In another interview, American Soldier Blanco (first name not given) talks about the general state of his life while dealing with PTSD (Blanco). In his interview, Blanco talks about how at first, he self-medicated with alcohol. Later in the interview he recounts how during a night of drinking, he broke a bottle while in a bathroom and cut himself across the chest. After the self-mutilation, he recounted feelings of being ashamed that he had a moment of what he felt like was weakness. After a trusted friend and his wife intervened, he sought help and is now able to talk about his experiences.
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What is PTSD?
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? PTSD is an invisible disability that affects the mental health of sufferers. An article on VA.GOV lists 4 different types of PTSD symptoms: reliving the event or events, avoidance of similar events, negative changing in feelings or beliefs, and feeling keyed up (Affairs). Anyone of any age, profession, or gender can suffer from PTSD. A traumatic event is indiscriminate, and the aftereffects of that event are just as chaotic. The events that can cause PTSD are sexual assault, physical assault, abuse of any kind, natural disasters, car accidents and experiencing combat as either a civilian or combatant (Williams).
Who suffers from PTSD?
This infographic from Cohens Veterans Bioscience illustrates the breadth of what post traumatic stress disorder encompasses. It also expands what those suffering from PTSD experience on a day to day basis. Their article goes on to explain that almost six percent of Americans over the age of thirteen will develop PTSD at some point in their life. If I apply this to my workplace where we have 500 employees at my job site, almost 30 other employees might suffer from PTSD in some shape way or form. As normal as every other employee that works around may seem, it would do those that are afflicted by Post Traumatic Stress a disservice to dismiss that it only affects a certain group. Society needs to stay vigilant to not only recognize the symptoms, but to also be there to help those in need. The social aspects that are affected by PTSD alone are distressing, but when confronted with the fact that 17 veterans in the United States commit suicide on a daily basis is alarming. As discussed earlier, military personnel are not the only group that suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the high suicide rate among veterans can be inferred to affect any person with PTSD, as depression is a very common comorbidity.
Helping those with PTSD
In conclusion, we as society need to be there to help those around us that suffer from this invisible illness. As individuals, we should strive to disassociate PTSD with a negative stigma. Often events that cause Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are out of our control. As individuals, we also need to learn to speak up when we are not feeling “ourselves”. Below are several examples of how we can step up to the plate to help those around us.
Be present and listen. Do not discount a trauma that someone has endured. Letting a person know that you care and are there for them can stop someone from making an irreversible decision. Find out what resources are available to you and the person that suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Find a support system for those that suffered from the same trauma. Reach out to a provider for treatment. Come up with a treatment plan. Stick to that treatment plan. Help the person stick to that treatment plan.
Works Cited
Affairs, Veterans. PTSD Basics. n.d. Article. 13 March 2021.
Blanco. Soldier talks about his struggle with PTSD Gilbert Trelles. 15 August 2013. Youtube.
Copelin, Brad. Living with PTSD 60 minutes Australia. 30 November 2014. Youtube.
Williams, Angela L. PTSD and Coping with Trauma Information for Teens: Health Tips about the Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of PTSD. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2020. Gale eReference.
