About Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

 Are you a combat veteran?  If you have seen action, it's
 possible that you could be suffering from Post Traumatic  Stress
 Disorder (PTSD). More than 101,978 U.S.

 Veterans received compensation  for PTSD as of March,
 1998. Of course, not every veteran who has seen action
 suffers from PTSD. In many cases, what seems like
 PTSD is simply a response to everyday stress.

 The stress of everyday life, often referred to as
 ADJUSTMENT DISORDER, can appear to take on some of
 the symptoms associated with PTSD. So, how do you
 know if it's PTSD that you're suffering from or everyday
 stress?

 According to the ICD-10 Classification of Mental and
 Behavioral Disorders, as published by the World Health
 Organization (WHO), Geneva, people who suffer
 from PTSD commonly experience a repeat of the event or
 events that caused their chronic problems. These visual and
 auditory experiences are often referred to as
 INTRUSIVE MEMORIES or INTRUSIVE DREAMS. Another
 common term for this is FLASHBACKS.

 Included are the following symptoms:

• feelings of emotional and physical numbing
• detachment from people
• unresponsiveness to surroundings
• avoidance of situations and activities that resemble the trauma
• state of autonomic hyper-arousal with hyper-vigilance
• enhanced startle response
• insomnia

"Commonly there is fear and avoidance of cues that remind the sufferer of the original trauma. Rarely, there may be dramatic, acute bursts of fear, panic or aggression, triggered by stimuli arousing a sudden recollection and/or re-enactment of the trauma or of the original reaction to it." (ICD-10)[1]

 People who suffer from PTSD also often experience high
 levels of anxiety, depression, and, at times, feelings of
 suicide. Use of alcohol and/or drugs, which
 further aggravate the already existing condition, are also
 common.

 According to WHO, in most cases, after a traumatic event
 has taken place, people rarely continue to exhibit PTSD
 symptoms for more than 6 months. In a minority
 of cases, the individual may continue to experience
 symptoms of PTSD, which, if left unchecked over a period
 of years, can lead to substantial, long-lasting effects,
 such as adverse personality changes.

                                         Courtesy of   Al Colombo's website
                                                              U.S. Veteran Information
                                                             (non-governmental)
 

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Click here to read the excellent DAV pamphlet on PTSD