Coping With Veterans with PSTD

Overview

PSTD is the acronym for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which is usually experienced by a veteran after encountering an incident that is quite distressing. In such a case the veterans feel that something bad is going to happen either to them or their families in which they will be helpless. It is a disorder that can only be cured with care, acceptance, and understanding. Veterans need to be lectured and awareness needs to be spread regarding this matter.

Symptoms of PSTD

The common symptoms of PSTD include reliving the event which means that person cannot come out of that incidence and it keeps on ringing bells in his mind so he unconsciously relives the same situation. Secondly, another symptom of being a victim of PSTD is your reluctance to participate in events that remind the person of the same incidence.  Thirdly, a person undergoes hyperarousal which involves extreme anger or irritation, difficulty in sleeping, overreaction or fearing that one is not safe. Furthermore, the person also witnesses numbness of mind which can be seen from a complete change of not only interests but also of emotions. Thus, it is not an easy to cope with the disease and it is very common among veterans who are deployed to areas like Iraq or Afghanistan where there is a continuous state of war.  

Coping With Veterans with PSTD

It is undoubtedly a herculean task to not only put up with a veteran with PSTD but also help him or her to overcome this state. It involves spreading understanding, awareness and acceptance about the disorder. You don’t need much extra effort to deal with a veteran suffering from PSTD but just a few simple steps and the seemingly difficult task of coping with a PSTD victim. The first thing is that you need to understand that even though veterans have strong nerves but it is very usual for them to undergo trauma owing to the environment in which they live. You need to broaden your perspective while thinking about a patient and his close ones because people around a victim are also affected severely and don’t know how to come out of it. You need to learn more about the trauma that has caused such an incident and more about the life in the state of war and outside it because in this ay you understand the condition of the effete in a better way. You also need to search and get information on where to get help for the sufferers and survivors so that you can get professional help as soon as possible before it causes any further issues. You need to be more informed about the different modes of treatment for PSTD patients and which form of treatment is most effective and convenient in your case. Do not push the veteran to talk about it until and unless he or she is ready to talk about.

Conclusion

Thus, it is more about understanding and accepting that such traumatic events can affect a person drastically and try to cope with him with care and understanding.

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