Photo By Staff Sgt. Damon Kasberg | Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that can occur after...... read more read more
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SOUTHWEST ASIA – Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition that can occur after someone has gone through a traumatic event.
About 7-8 percent of the U.S population will be diagnosed with PTSD for various reasons.
“Like many medical situations people experience, the person with the condition will most likely be one of the first individuals to pick up on something being off,” said U.S. Army Capt. Melisa Coker, 254th Combat Operation Stress Control clinical psychologist. “If someone has concerns about their mood and especially how they’re functioning, like any medical condition, take note of it and go to a provider who will then do a good assessment and give some feedback in terms of the diagnosis and treatment.”
The symptoms of PTSD are broken into four categories. Avoidance which involves staying away from places, events or objects that serve as reminders of the event. Re-experiencing includes flashbacks, bad dreams and thoughts. Reactivity includes being easily startled, feeling tense, difficult sleeping and angry outbursts. Cognition includes memory gaps, distorted feeling of guilt or blame and loss of interest in enjoyable activities.
“A lot of people will note a big switch in how they interact in the world,” Coker said. “If they used to be a happy-go-lucky type of person and all of a sudden they’re very irritable, they have angry outbursts. For others it’s withdrawing, someone used to be social and now they want to be to themselves. Any marked change in the way someone behaves or interacts typically can indicate that something is going on. It may not be PTSD, but something is going on.”
PTSD is commonly associated with combat, but there are many situations that might lead to it, including a wide range of non-combat events, such as an assault, being in a motor vehicle accident, childhood abuse or involvement in a natural disaster.
“You don’t have to be on the frontlines to get PTSD,” Coker said. “People can get it from learning about something horrible happening. It doesn’t just have to be witnessing something or being involved in something. In some cases, exposure to the details of a horrific event can cause PTSD.”
Some service members may believe seeing a healthcare provider for mental health can negatively impact their career. A PTSD diagnosis is not the end of one’s career. Many service members who have suffered from PTSD sought help and are back at work, enjoying their lives.
“In my time as a mental health provider, there haves been huge strides toward eliminating stigma associated with seeking care,” Coker said. “Our big goal is retention and rehabilitation. Having seen mental health reflect in a person’s records doesn’t automatically mean they will be overlooked for a certain position. We just want to see treatment completion and stability.”
For service members concerned about their mental health there are many recourses available to them such as mental health services, spiritual support services, Military OneSource and Suicide Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2017 08:30 |
| Story ID: | 239446 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 221 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, PTSD: Know the signs, don’t carry the burden alone, by SSgt Damon Kasberg, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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