Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder caused by a terrifying experience or event in an individual's life. It has a wide-range of symptoms that include nightmares, flashbacks, severe anxiety, and recurring thoughts about the event. Patients having the disorder undergo traumatizing periods that are usually difficult to cope or adjust to. Most of the symptoms of this illness begin a month after the traumatizing event, but in some cases, symptoms might not appear until after a few years. PTSD can affect anybody in life as shown by research which postulates that approximately 8 out of 100 people are likely to have the disorder at some point in their lifetime. One group of people that are highly associated with PTSD is the retired military personnel. During their time, the veterans were exposed to numerous combats with many witnessing life-threatening and other horrible incidences. Such events have a likelihood of causing PTSD. As such, the veterans experience a range of symptoms including nightmares and social seclusion which have a toll on their relationships with the family. PTSD is a common mental disorder among the veterans that not only threatens their psychological well-being but also the relationship they have with their family members.
Effects of PTSD on Veterans
Military personnel encounter potentially horrific incidences in their careers including combats, the death of their fellow soldiers, and other life-threatening occurrences. Research on the veterans with PTSD has shown that the number of people suffering from the disorder depends on the particular service era. Three types of service eras exist for the US veterans including the Vietnam War, Gulf War, and Operations Iraqi Freedom. In Vietnam War, research showed that 15%, that is 15 out of every 100 Vietnam soldiers were diagnosed with PTSD in the late 1980s, according to a study conducted by the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) ( Gates et al . 2012).The research also found out that 30% of the Vietnam Veterans have experienced PTSD in the course of their life. The second service era closely associated with PTSD among the veterans is the Gulf War. Research has further shown that approximately 12% of the Gulf War veterans have had the disorder in a given year. The Third service era is the Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) whereby between 11 and 20% of the veterans that served in this operation has experienced PTSD in a given year ( Gates et al . 2012).
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The combat situation that the ex-soldiers found themselves is regarded one of the main causes of the PTSD. Other confounding factors that determine the extent to which the soldiers will suffer psychologically include the enemy faced in the war, what the military does, the politics surrounding the war, and the location where the battle is fought. Another major cause of PTSD among the military persons is referred to as the military sexual trauma (MST). It involves sexual harassment or assault encountered by an individual in the military. MST occurs both in men and in women including at the time of training, war, or even peacetime. According to a research conducted by the veterans utilizing the VA healthcare, it was evident that 23% of the women reported sexual assault in their time at the military. Another study revealed that 55% and 38% of men and women respectively had experienced sexual harassment while working in the military. It is critical to appreciate the fact that the number of male veterans is bigger than that of the female veterans. Women have witnessed most cases of military sexual harassment. However, more than half of the reported cases involve the men.
Ex-soldiers could find themselves suffering from the effects of hyperarousal. The condition includes the inability of the sufferers to adjust their bodies to the normal states that they experienced before engaging in the life-threatening war. Such an effect can be described as a ‘fight or flight’ that continues to occur in the individual once the danger is averted. Hyperarousal causes a number of effects on the veteran including a lack of concentration, insomnia, hyperactivity, panic, and irritability. Other than the effects of hyperarousal, the ex-soldiers show the effects of PTSD through the re-experiencing past events. Re-experiencing of events can manifest through bad dreams, flashbacks, and intrusive memories which have a devastating impact on the mental state of the individual.
Yarvis (2013) demonstrated that the veterans also show signs of numbing or avoidance which occur as a result of the shutdown of the mind making them unable to cope with various experiences in life. They take little interest in life as a whole and anything that goes around them. Some have problems reconnecting with their families and the community at large. The PTSD disorder can give them a sense of helplessness and hopelessness which inhibits them from connecting their feelings with the events going on around them. The signs of numbing or avoidance that can manifest in these individuals include anxiety, heavy depression, and the withdrawal from friends and other family members. Despite such debilitating effects, Reeves, Parker and Konkle-Parker (2016) asserted that most veterans suffering from PTSD tend to avoid treatment. A reason to explain this is the fact that they suffer the effects of depression and disconnect from normal life which gives them a perception that there is no need for treatment.
It is also of the essence to appreciate the fact that despite the physical scars that the veterans carry when coming back home, they also carry along mental and emotional burdens that come as a result of the PTSD which threaten to affect them in their entire life. As such, these individuals are at an increased risk of experiencing more mental health problems including depression, eating disorders, and anxiety. Others have shown a tendency of engaging in drug and substance abuse as a way of solving their emotional problems. Studies have also backed up these claims by proving that the PTSD patients are approximately six times more likely to develop depression than a person without the disorder. Also, most veterans with PTSD, especially those who are in their advanced ages, have also shown a high likelihood of suffering from other physical and health problems. Data from the VA veteran health postulates that out of the individuals with PTSD, almost 9% show accompanied health problems such as pain, obesity, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, and respiratory problems among others.
PTSD is also a major cause of suicidal ideation and suicide among the veterans. Suicide is rare, but those that are completed are often tragic. Studies have shown that the main cause of suicide among these individuals is combat trauma. Survivors wounded more than one time or those put in a hospital for a long time are the veterans with the highest risk of committing suicide. Therefore Reeves, Parker and Konkle-Parker (2016) illustrated that suicide risk among the veterans is influenced by the intensity of the combat trauma in an individual. PTSD plays a major role in the development of suicidality due to the traumatizing memories, poor control of impulses, and the likelihood of getting angry faster. Research has further postulated that suicidal risk is higher in PTSD veterans with better coping skills to stress. Such individuals have no way of expressing their inner feelings and therefore susceptible to committing suicide. Among the PTSD veterans, guilt and regret related to the combat event can cause the individuals to commit suicide. Most of them have disturbing and regretful thoughts with regards to the actions taken at the time of war.
Effects on the Family
PTSD among the veterans does not have implications for the victims alone but the entire family to which they belong. The family members can potentially suffer from secondary stress that comes from the patient and potentially experience similar effects as those of the victim. Family members are likely to experience anxiety, depression, and might also engage in substance abuse. The symptoms mainly occur as a result of trying to take care of their embattled relative. Veterans go through stressful situations that cause frustrations and anger on them. The family members, on the other hand, dedicate much of their efforts and attention in handling the situation. As such, they can normally face challenges especially in understanding the needs of their sick relatives. Such difficulties also cause similar symptoms on their side especially when they start believing that they are part of the reason why the veterans with PTSD are acting in a particular way.
Tsai et al . (2012) pointed out that the military involvement of America’s soldiers in operations such as in Iraq and Afghanistan has increased the awareness of mental health concerns such as the PTSD that normally arise from traumatic exposures after military deployment. Research has been directed towards the family issues that surround the ex-soldier when they return to mental conditions such as PTSD. More concern is also put on familial effects that come in as the PTSD patient is on their way to recovery. Studies have revealed that veterans diagnosed with PTSD report numerous relationship problems with romantic partners. Veterans with PTSD also have a tendency of divorcing faster than their counterparts who do not have PTSD. Veterans, especially the male ones suffering from chronic PTSD show a diminished ability to depict self-disclosure and emotional expression to their partners. They instead show anxiety in intimacy as compared to their counterparts. Also important to note is that the veterans have difficulty in family adjustment and this has been witnessed in both the male and the female ex-soldiers.
Research on combat veterans has also revealed that PTSD among the individuals highly associated with dissatisfaction with relationships and also an impaired intimacy. The veterans also depict verbal aggression that might impact the well-being of the relationship. Findings from research have also demonstrated that male veterans with PTSD are more inclined towards perpetrating physical and psychological aggression against their children and parents than veterans without the disorder. It has also been proved that the severity of this aggression with the severity of the PTSD symptom. Tsai et al . asserted that the people living with the PTSD might also experience major difficulties in managing anger, something that is dangerous to the well-being of the entire family. Other factors such as alcoholism in veterans diagnosed with the disorder can increase the hyperarousal symptoms hence increasing the probability of the victim causing physical aggression on their family members.
PTSD usually affects how the veterans feel and act after the traumatic event. As such, the traumatic events that happen to one member of the family have a potentially devastating effect on the other members. Untreated PTSD among the veterans has been shown to have the most adverse effects on the victims. Most of the family members find it extremely difficult to get along with the survivors of the PTSD. Such a scenario can cause family division as some people will tend to avoid the company of the veterans. It is also vital to note that family members react differently when a member is traumatized. Some of the reactions can be helpful while others will cause more problems to the members. Of the most common reactions that can be depicted by the family members is sympathy. Sympathy can be a good thing because it gives the victims a sense that their family members are feeling the type of pain they are going through. However, sympathy can also have detrimental effects on the family members especially when they begin treating them like a baby in that they have low expectations from them. It might send a message that the family members to do not believe in the embattled veteran to have enough mantle that would help them overcome the situation.
Depression is another common problem that family members with a depressed veteran can experience. One major cause of depression is intense stress that results from the inability to cope with the pressures of life properly. The traumatized veteran with PTSD can act in a certain way that causes a feeling of loss and pain. Some examples of such acts include nightmares, delirium, and recurring events among others. The family will have increased stress that has a potential of completely changing their lives. Yehuda et al. (2015) illustrated that the marital partner of an individual suffering from combat trauma might feel depressed if their counterpart does not fulfill certain marital duties such as sex and overall intimacy. Also, children to a traumatized PTSD parent might also feel depressed if they do not receive attention, love, and care from their parent who is battling with their health. The veteran diagnosed with the PTSD could have had the traumatic event in the form of horrific violence that keeps on haunting them in the course of their lives. They might tend to express their fears in real life by acting violently or aggressively. Family members can become fearful especially when the PTSD veteran turns out to be angry and aggressive.
Families face an increased risk of crumbling when one of their own is experiencing the symptoms of PTSD. Yehuda et al . (2015) asserted that the traumatized family member would exhibit abnormal behavior that might not go well with the rest of the members. The family can surprisingly show resentment and negative attitude towards the traumatized member because they feel that the individual no longer shows qualities that they had once admired and loved. A veteran who was initially fun-loving can turn out to be gloomy. Those who were outgoing can also turnout out to be withdrawn. The members of the family might also respond negatively to the behaviors shown by the PTSD veterans especially those who resort to heavy drinking as a remedy. Family members can also show disappointment in their relatives’ failure to act bravely in the face of the disorder. Because most veterans do not welcome the decision to seek medical attention, this can also be a source of negative attitude towards the individual.
In conclusion, PTSD in veterans has negative implications for both the ex-soldiers and their family at large. The main cause of the mental disorder is the traumatizing combat experience that they have witnessed in the course of their military engagement. The families, on the other hand, might also suffer similar but less devastating effects that come with difficulty in dealing with the symptoms of PTSD in the veteran. Research has also proven that lack of treatment is the major reason for the adverse symptoms seen in the patients and the resultant effect it has on the family. Therefore, veterans should adhere to strict medication, not only to remedy their situation but also avoid family problems such as divorce, aggression, negative attitudes, and lack of intimacy among many challenges.
References
Gates, M. A., Holowka, D. W., Vasterling, J. J., Keane, T. M., Marx, B. P., & Rosen, R. C. (2012). Posttraumatic stress disorder in veterans and military personnel: Epidemiology, screening, and case recognition. Psychological services , 9 (4), 361.
Reeves, R. R., Parker, J. D., & Konkle-Parker, D. J. (2016). War-related mental health problems of today's veterans: new clinical awareness. Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services , 43 (7), 18-28.
Tsai, J., Harpaz-Rotem, I., Pietrzak, R. H., & Southwick, S. M. (2012). The role of coping, resilience, and social support in mediating the relation between PTSD and social functioning in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes , 75 (2), 135-149.
Yarvis, J. S. (2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans. Handbook of military social work , 81-97.
Yehuda, R., Hoge, C. W., McFarlane, A. C., Vermetten, E., Lanius, R. A., Nievergelt, C. M., ... & Hyman, S. E. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers , 1 , 15057.
