War Related Post Truamatic Stress Disorder

[Wade]

Does anyone have any good resources and/or experience/advice on helping someone with war related PTSD?

[MaxPC]

For combat-related PTSD it helps to know what triggers the episodes and what kind of behavior is manifested. Loud noises and a sudden flash of light are the common triggers but may not be the only triggers. One man I know is triggered by a song that was playing when his unit was attacked. Whenever he hears the song now, he loses it.

Smells and touch also come into play. The military environment has some unique aspects and one of the best websites for info on this form of PTSD is Combat PTSD.

[temporal1]

this forum (well, MD) has a few former military, war related PTSD has been discussed a little.
it’s a hard topic. some reading likely have first-hand experience.

i hope someone will notice your OP and respond.

several years ago, it was new-to-me to learn anyone can suffer PTSD.
i learned when some cousins adopted 2 troubled toddlers, brothers. they had several serious problems, one was diagnosed, in part, with PTSD.

they are doing well now.

[RickH]

I know that I seldom post here but this is something that is close to my heart.
As someone who has suffered with combat related PTSD, I can tell you that it takes professional help to learn how to deal with the disorder. A person cannot do it on their own. It has taken me several years to finally come to grips with things. Several veteran's commit suicide every day. The last I heard it was an average of 22.
If your friend can afford it, they can seek help from outside doctors or they can do as I did and file for free health care from the Veteran's Administration.
Visit the nearest V.A. Hospital and they will help him get started. They'll evaluate him and help him fill out the proper paperwork. The more evidence he has to support his claim, the easier it will be. If he has proof that he was in a combat zone, they are more lenient on how much evidence he'll have to provide because they know things happen.
PTSD does not only include "shell shock". Yes, that is one form but there are many, many forms with different signs and symptoms. The firing of weapons, helicopters or loud bangs doesn't affect me. Only one time has the firing of a weapon made me take cover by instinct. Some symptoms include a lack of sleep, extreme mood changes, self medicating with things that take your mind off of the events. Some people self medicate with alcohol, drugs and even sex.
So, with there being so many different forms of PTSD along with a huge list of signs and symptoms, a person must be treated professionally.
What helped me? Counseling. At first, I was only seeing a psychiatrist, who like any other doctor, prescribes medicine. The medicine didn't work. I then attended group counseling with other veterans who served in combat with the prerequisite that you had to have taken a life. This helped me immensely because I saw that there were others who had the same struggles that I have and even met a Green Beret who was in the same theater (combat zone) as I was and he kind of took me under his wing. Last summer, I had an intense one-on-one therapy with a counselor for 12 weeks. This helped me even more. Now, every day, I do 22 push-ups in memory of those 22 veterans that will probably take their lives that day. It's very sad. I wish everyone could get the care and the results that I have gotten but sadly, they don't. Yes, there is a stigma. I keep it to myself and would not normally have posted it here but I can relate to the pain your friend is feeling.
Please try to get him to at least contact the V.A. for help. If there is not a V.A. Hospital near you, there is, more than likely, some sort of Veteran's help very close to you that will help him get the ball rolling. Once he gets his "Service Connected" rating, they will not only pay for his care but they will also pay for his gas and expenses incurred to get that treatment.
Help is out there.
Temporal1 is correct. You don't need to have served in the military to get PTSD. Many first responders develop it over the years. Anyone who has been part of a traumatic situation such as sexual assault, witnessing a child's death or anything traumatic can cause it. It just depends on how our brains process the situation and whether or not we can deal with it.

[RickH]

This web site may help guide you: https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/ptsd/

[Wade]

Thank you for the help Rick!

We are in Canada so I am not sure about V.A. Hospitals for up here? But I'll have to look into what is available.

[RickH]

Wade, I’m sorry about giving you the incorrect country information, I didn’t know you were in Canada.
A quick search found that Canada seems to have an equivalent of the U.S. Veteran’s Affairs. Here is the web site: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/health-s ... d-wellness

[steve-in-kville]

Temporal1 is correct. You don't need to have served in the military to get PTSD. Many first responders develop it over the years. Anyone who has been part of a traumatic situation such as sexual assault, witnessing a child's death or anything traumatic can cause it. It just depends on how our brains process the situation and whether or not we can deal with it.

This something that definitely needs professional help. I hate to say it, but the conservative community falls short in dealing with mental health issues.

[Wade]

Temporal1 is correct. You don't need to have served in the military to get PTSD. Many first responders develop it over the years. Anyone who has been part of a traumatic situation such as sexual assault, witnessing a child's death or anything traumatic can cause it. It just depends on how our brains process the situation and whether or not we can deal with it.

This something that definitely needs professional help. I hate to say it, but the conservative community falls short in dealing with mental health issues.

My friend has had a couple liberal Protestant churches try and help but after a bit they just drop him and he doesn't hear or see from them again.
The only thing more I have to offer is on days that I am thinking about not visiting him is my wife saying things like, "Wayne needs you right now."
His guilt from combat is so strong that he doesn't feel worthy to be loved and feels extremely lonely. He needs professional help, yes, but he also needs a friend that loves him.

[RickH]

My friend has had a couple liberal Protestant churches try and help but after a bit they just drop him and he doesn't hear or see from them again.

In all honesty, I don't think many church counselors are trained and prepared for your friend's type of illness. Also, unlike marital counseling and such, PTSD is not a few weeks of counseling and finished. As I mentioned, it might take years. Wayne can not forget what happened. He is most likely lying to himself about how things are all his fault and that he should be punished for it. I know that I did. Counseling helped me with that. I had a lot of homework but it helped. Combat PTSD is so complex. He is not the same person that he was. He can get some of himself back though. I can just implore him to seek help from the Canadian Veteran's Affairs. For me, simply telling my story to people who wouldn't judge me helped. Baby steps first.

He needs professional help, yes, but he also needs a friend that loves him.

You are 100% correct. It takes both. A friend that won't judge him and cares is needed too. For me, I didn't have that. I didn't tell anyone, except for my doctors, about what I had done and witnessed being done. Very few people know the full details.
If he is willing to talk, please listen and love/care. He probably needs to get it off of his chest to someone who is deeply interested in him and his experience.