There has been a new study that just came out that states 300,000 US troops suffer from Major Depressive Disorder and/or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder also an additional 300,000 have suffered brain injuries. Out of these numbers only half have sought out treatment. This works out to 18.5 percent of United States troops are suffering from a mental disorder so roughly one in five.

I wrote the following post near the start of this blog:

PTSD – The disorder that is about to explode

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not a whole heck of a lot of fun. Basic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is watching or experiencing something tragic or along those line, Chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is witnessing or being a part of long term events that have left a major mark on your psyche, think long term abuse or military service on foreign land.

The big thing when it comes to either form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is that your constantly haunted by what you saw or experienced. One minute you are having a great day then some thing triggers the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder monster and the next thing you know it that flashback just sent you back straight to the incident. Try to sleep at night and take a wild guess what you are going to dream about. The purpose of therapy in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is to work through the event so it does not hold so much power and to identify the triggers that set it off.

Triggers are odd things and a lot of the time they are not really obvious. Everyone remembers the old war “comedies” where a loud noise would send the vet running or covering his head, this is a classic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder reaction which is not funny off screen. Triggers can be anything from a certain verbal phrase to an inanimate object to food to smells. There are certain food items that I watch people eat with their hands that almost always puts a flashback going through my head. I have had this trigger for as long as I can remember yet it is as still just as powerful as when it first arrived.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was discovered, for the lack of a better word, after the first World War as all sorts of soldiers came back with terrifying nightmares and flashbacks burning through their brains except back then it was called Shell Shock. Every single conflict comes with a lot of people returning with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or various substance abuse problems that come from dealing or hiding from the reality of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The therapy has come along way over the last couple of decades or so but unfortunately every time the therapy hits a new level due to an increase in funding for research it is because a major war just took place. I don’t know the actual number of soldiers returning with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but I can guarantee it is a lot higher then the number the government says it is.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a difficult disorder to go to your doctor with as the male ego despises it. How is a big, tough Marine going to tell his doctor that a nightmare is kicking his ass so unfortunately instead of getting help they begin to self medicate, want proof? Remember the Vietnam war … how many people came back addicted to heroin? What were they trying to forget or avoid? The big bad Post Traumatic Stress Disorder monster that will bring the strongest person to their knees.

Flashbacks are like a mini movies, kind of. Think of a terrible situation then drop yourself into the middle of it but you are powerless to do anything but watch what is taking place. Take a car crash that was severe, the person thankfully makes it through alive, goes through the medical procedures then slowly begins to heal. Something triggers it, could be something like the sound of brakes squealing then all of a sudden that person is back in the car heading straight towards the accident and there is absolutely nothing they can do to change the events but they experience it again and again until they find a way to deal with it which is not easy whatsoever.

The American public is about to get another eye opener when all the soldiers arrive back home and the mental health treatment bill comes into view both for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and for treating the substance abuses that are used to cover up the disorder and to get through the day. It is going to be an expensive lesson that comes with every major conflict and tragedy.

Related posts:

1. Military Suicides Up Twenty Percent – The PTSD Monster
2. Mental Illness To Do List
3. The Best Parts Of Having A Mental Illness
4. Advice For Those With a Loved One With Mental Illness
5. BPD Awareness Month – Best Parts About Having A Mental Illness
6. Mental Health Journey
7. Faking Mental Illness … WTF?
8. Military experiment seeks to predict PTSD
9. Helping Someone With Mental Illness
10. UFC Fighting For the Troops PTSD