Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month: June 2019

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month

The best way to observe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Month is to take the time to understand the experiences and day to day realities of those around you who may be suffering from PTSD. Another important step is to never use the term PTSD lightly. Like most psychological disorders, there are people who will claim to experience it (with OCD being a common example) to simply describe personality quirks. This undermines the experiences of those who actually have these issues and denigrates the seriousness of the condition which can lead to misunderstandings about its cause and effects.

Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a loved one, war, violent personal assault such as rape, or other life-threatening events. Research has recently shown that PTSD among military personnel may be a physical brain injury, specifically of damaged tissue, caused by blasts during combat.

Most people who experience such events recover from them, but people with PTSD continue to be severely depressed and anxious for months or even years following the event.

Trauma survivors who have PTSD may have trouble with their close family relationships or friendships. Their symptoms can cause problems with trust, closeness, communication, and problem solving, which may affect the way the survivor acts with others. In turn, the way a loved one responds to him or her affects the trauma survivor. A circular pattern may develop that could harm relationships.
Volunteering with local groups that aid veterans of wartime situations will also make a huge difference to those who deal with it every day, as support is always lacking.

For resources and additional information: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.asp

References:
https://www.personalizedcause.com/health-awareness-cause-calendar/ptsd-awareness-month
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd