The Albany Clinic • December 28, 2021
Untold numbers of veterans from all human conflicts have PTSD, but that’s the result of the sheer numbers involved, misdiagnosis, and many other influencers. In the last several decades, research has improved exponentially to identify symptoms, triggers, and methods to relieve the physical and emotional consequences of the illness.
Ptsd Definition
According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as a “disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it.” Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, politics, or wealth, it can happen to anyone.
Can Ptsd Be Cured?
Like most other mental health illnesses, PTSD isn’t something that can be “cured” in the traditional sense. It’s not an illness you can take medicine for, recover from, and later be tested for without evidence of previous infection. However, once you’ve been diagnosed, you can begin one or more treatment programs to help manage its symptoms. The key, of course, is recognizing you’re ill and committing to getting better. Improvement may take some time.
Risk Factors
What Can Promote Recovery?
Some factors that could encourage recovery following trauma include:
Implementing these factors can enable you to act and react effectively even when you feel fear.
How Many Veterans Have Ptsd?
According to the National Center for PTSD, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a leading authority on post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, the number of veterans who have PTSD varies by service era:
Of course, symptoms that today would be identified with post-traumatic stress disorder pre-date the 20 th century by hundreds of years. Since the Revolutionary War, symptoms like avoidance, irritability, and anger have affected veterans of every U.S. military engagement. PTSD-like symptoms have also been recorded in famous literary examples, including works by William Shakespeare (Henry IV, Part I) and Greek historians (Herodotus), and other ancient writers, poets, and philosophers. U.S. combat veterans who fought and were injured during fighting in Vietnam may have been some of the first people to be treated with ketamine – as an anesthetic.
Diagnosis & Treatment
If you’re a veteran and you think you have PTSD, the first place you should go for diagnosis is your local clinic sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA is a globally recognized organization with decades of expertise in diagnosing and treating PTSD and other mental illnesses in veterans. You’ll likely undergo a thorough physical exam and psychiatric evaluation, and your symptoms will be compared to criteria in the DSM-5 or other literature. Afterward, treatment may include individual or group psychotherapy, self-help, support groups, antidepressants, or medicine like ketamine to help curb your symptoms.
Final Thoughts
If you have PTSD and other mental illnesses but ignore the symptoms, they may worsen with time. Allowing symptoms to fester, untreated, for years on end could have severe consequences for not only your overall wellness but also for friends and family. Get help today .
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